The Dark Fairy
by Kuro Tenebris
Summary: What he did was necessary. Now armed with a cursed blade and a demon in his mind, how far will Kuro Tenebris go to achieve his revenge for his mother? Will he stalk through the darkness? Or will he walk in the light? One thing is sure, in the end all will change. For better or for worse...
1. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything named Fairy Tail…except Kuro Tenebris!**

Normal speaking: "Why hello there."

Normal thinking: _"This guy's pretty good."_

Demon or higher being speaking: **"I will crush you!"**

Demon or higher being thinking: **_"Wonder who I'll have for dinner..."_**

* * *

A young boy ran through the dark forest, hands over his head so it wouldn't get hurt or any wetter than it already was due to the rain. He had to get away. He cursed as he cut his leg. He kneeled and cursed again before a roar could be heard from behind him. He looked back…a flash of lightning was all he needed as it provided enough light to see two red orbs glaring at him. He screamed and starting running away.

It was amazing what adrenaline did to the body. It numbed any pain and it also kept you going. Fighting or in this case, running. He slid under a tree before running again. He felt so grateful at his mother for drilling those parkour lessons into his skull. Now they were like second nature. He looked to the left. A large tree with many leaves as right next to him. He thought for a bit before running again. He stopped suddenly and retraced his steps before climbing the tree with ease.

Now all he had to do was wait for the demonic being to pass by and he could rest easy. The demon showed up after a few minutes. He was lucky that all the mud and rain masked his scent. He was pretty sure that the monster could smell him. The being tilted his head before running forward, following the footsteps. A flash of lightning was present once again.

The ten year olld boy sighed as the demon was out of sight. He looked down as tears fell from his eyes.

Why did it have to happen?

Why?

His mother didn't do anything wrong dammit!

His father was never present to begin with…it was his damn fault for not being there to protect her and him.

He sighed again before he fell to sleep.

Morning came and with it the boy woke up finding himself stuck to the tree. The mud that was on him dried up and he was stuck now. He groaned and shook himself.

Good news, he wasn't stuck anymore.

Bad news, he fell down.

He groaned again as he got up, thankful for not breaking anything. He looked back from where he ran away from and frowned. He shook his head and went back.

He wasn't going to let his mother's death go unpunished, he was going to get stronger, find the demon bastard and kill him.

He entered his house with a heavy look on his face. He ignored the mutilated remains of his mother as best as he could and went to the family portrait. He tore the large portrait off the wall and grabbed what was inside the hole in the wall there.

A katana giving off an ominous red glow with black trails of smoke coming out of it.

" _That sword was passed down from generation to generation in our family. No one could ever use it though, said to be possessed."_

His mother's words rang through his head. He shook his head and grabbed the sword with a determined look on his face.

He was immediately plunged into a dark mansion.

" **Well, well, well. Look what the thirst for revenge dragged in!...** _ **that sounded so much better in my head.**_ **"** A voice echoed from around him.

"W-Who are you?" he asked.

" **Wow. The way you ran away from that demon guy made you seem like a little coward. But now you seem like a little idiot."** The voice cackled.

"…" the boy remained silent.

" **The calm, cool and collected type huh? Okay kid."** A tall teenager with scaly black skin, large bat like wings and long tail appeared in front of him. Between the black scales there was a red glow that dimmed and brightened with the beat of the teenager's heart **"As for who I am well…I, am Kira."** he bowed mockingly, his long hair falling down before he got up **"Save the autographs for later."** He grinned cockily.

"Kira?"

Kira's grin grew larger if possible **"The most powerful devil in existence, stronger than even anything made by that bastard Zeref."** His grin turned sadistic **"So. You must really want revenge."** Kira began circling around him.

"Huh?" Kira unnerved him.

" **Why else would you grab my so called prison?"** he asked before putting his face mere inches away from the boy's.

"Y-Yeah. I need your help!" he said.

"… **Meh. I'll help. Got nothing better to do as it is. Seeing you struggle would be fun."**

"You'll really help?"

" **Yep. Now get outta here! I'll establish a permanent mind link so we can keep in touch!"** he waved before Kuro woke up with a startle. He looked at his left hand suddenly, it held the katana but it was also changed. It was completely black with a red dragon circling it. The dragon's head was on the back of his hand and its eyes seemed to glow black. He stopped staring at it and got up.

" **You're probably wondering what's the deal with your left arm."**

"Who said that?!" he yelled and looked around.

" **Sheesh, relax kid. Permanent mind link is permanent!"**

"Oh right…sorry,"

" **Whatever. The tattoo is basically my influence on you I guess. As long as you have that left arm I'll stick around, giving you advice and what not."** He could feel Kira shrug.

"Thank you."

Kira chuckled **"Oh don't thank me. By the end of our training you'll be hating me. Welcome to your tortu-training!"**

The boy gulped.

Six years have passed since then.

"Stop that thief!" a man yelled as a boy ran away from him, bread in his mouth and apple in hand. He found himself face to face with a group of men cutting his way off. He smirked behind the bread and turned towards an alley. The man followed but the boy was agile. He started to tic-tac up the walls before he eventually climbed to the top of a building. He pulled himself up with his left hand and gave the men below him a two finger salute.

"Argh…get him!" one yelled and everyone started running up the stairs. The boy kept running, vaulting over some objects and sliding under others. He looked behind him, the men were catching up. He frowned and started balancing on a cable leading to a different building. He was halfway before he heard another yell "Cut the cable!" He looked behind and a man crouched down with a knife in hand. The boy grimaced as the man cut the cable. He grabbed it and swung into an apartment through the window.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" a woman yelled as he rolled through the fall and out of the door. He quickly ran up the stairs. He found himself on the roof in mere seconds. He smirked before he heard rapid footsteps. He grunted and ran.

" **You're enjoying this too much."**

" _Yeah I am."_ He smirked before gulping down the last of the bread. He stopped suddenly as he reached the ledge of the house roof. He looked down below, he couldn't climb down quickly.

"End of the line kid. Now how about just giving back what you stole and accepting your punishment." A man slammed his club in his hand with a smirk on his face. The boy looked as if he thought for a bit. He looked behind him and inched backwards a bit.

"Hey now, don't do anything stupid kid." A different man said hurriedly. He didn't want a kid to die just because he had to steal.

"…" the boy smirked before throwing the apple to the people and leaning off. As he fell he gave them another two finger salute. The men there went over to the edge and saw the kid laying on a carriage while eating a red apple from the pile next to his head with a smirk on his face.

"Damn brat!" a man yelled as the carriage was dragged away by the horses. He got off in the next town. He stretched a bit before looking around.

The town he was in was bustling with activity. People were doing their jobs, mages were off on their requests and children were playing. He sighed.

" **It ain't gonna help if you dwell on it kid. The best thing you can do is move forward."**

" _I know."_

A massive slam shook the earth.

" _The heck?"_

" **It came from the mountain. You should check it out, get some more experience kid."**

He nodded and started running towards the mountain.

Why did she take this job?

That question kept plaguing her mind.

If she just swallowed her pride and refuse this job then she wouldn't have her arm broken and her sister be put in danger.

Their brother stood in his beastly form above Lisanna.

"Let's go home, Elf-niichan." The younger sibling smiled before she was brutally slammed away.

"LISANNA!" she yelled before the dust settled. She widened her eyes.

A boy clad in a black coat with a grey shirt and dark blue pants along combat boots of the same color blocked the strike with his sheathed katana.

"Tch." He frowned before throwing the beast away "You two okay?" he asked without looking "If so, then run away." He prepared to draw his sword.

"Wait, don't hurt him! He's our brother!" Lisanna yelled.

"Eh?"

" **Wow. Didn't see that one coming. He must be using take-over magic but got taken over by the beast instead."**

"I'll just knock him unconscious."

" _Any ideas how Kira?"_

" **First you got to grab him by the horns…"**

He shrugged before he advanced forward. He sidestepped a blow before climbing on the arm and staying there. He impaled his sword in the arm, making the beast roar before trying to shake him off. He smirked and held on before his opponent raised his arm in the air. He let go and was sent flying into the air.

The boy smirked before bullet diving towards the giant monster. As he was about to strike, he leaned to the left and dodged the punch. He sent out a burst of dark energy out of his left arm, propelling him to the right before he grabbed the horns of the beast…

" **And slam him into the ground. That's how you'd take him out without killing him and in a stylish way too!"**

…and, using the incredible momentum from the drop, dragged the whole body of the beast with him into the ground where he slammed it with a giant crash. He sighed and dusted himself off before grabbing his katana and pulling it out. The giant body soon transformed into a tall man.

"Elf-niichan!" Lisanna said and hurried to him.

"He'll be fine. Just bandage the head and his arm." The boy shrugged before he went to walk away.

"Wait!" the older girl stopped him "Who are you?"

"…Kuro Tenebris. What of it?" he asked with his head tilted towards her.

"Why did you help us?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Did I need a reason?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't look like the type that just helps people out of the blue!" she yelled and pointed at him.

" **Ouch. She's got a point kid."**

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna yelled before turning to Kuro "You'll have to excuse her. It's nothing personal, she's like that with everyone."

"Lisanna!" she whined before glaring at Kuro "So what do you want?"

"Nothing." He shrugged and walked away. He stopped suddenly "…Actually. I could use some help with directions. Mind telling me where Fairy Tail is? The guild?"

"Why?"

"I want to join." He shrugged.

" _ **The fastest way to get stronger is to join a guild. Lots of tough opponents can be found in those jobs of theirs. If you are going to fight a lot, you might as well get paid…and I heard that there are a lot of hot babes."**_

Kira said that around their first year of training. He looked for a guild for quite a while but never found one that fits. Fairy Tail seemed to be the best one.

"Yeah we can show you. We're members of it actually!" Lisanna smiled as she worked on her brother "Can you help Mira-nee with her injuries?" she asked.

He sighed and went to the girl. He looked her over. Broken arm, twisted ankle and dozens of bruises and cuts. He got on his knees and extended his arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a glare.

"Your sister asked me to help you. That's what I'm doing." He kept his hand extended. She sighed and put her right foot there.

He couldn't help but notice how soft her skin was and despite the many injuries it was flawless.

" **Looks like lil'Kuro has his first crush~ I approve kid. She's hot!"** Kira laughed from his mindscape. He blushed lightly before shaking his head to clear the improper thoughts.

Mira glared at him before he roughly twisted her ankle back in place. There was a crack and he smirked. The bone was set back reasonably well. All she had to do was not put stress on it and it will heal with time.

She hissed in pain before he went over to her left arm. He touched it a bit, seeking the broken segment and noting the skin was as soft as her foot and leg. He found the broken bone and winced a bit, that was going to take a while to heal without magic. He sighed and got up before going towards a nearby tree. Cutting a branch and making a make-shift splint. He put it near her arm and fished around for something in his coat's pocket. He took out a couple of bandages before he tied her arm up.

Mira had to admit, he was good at this and fighting as well. She already felt better and the make-shift splint didn't feel wrong any bit.

"…" she muttered something as he got up.

"What?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I said thanks!" she yelled at him with a glare. He helped her up and she winced, her ankle still hurt.

"Lean on your sister." He said "I'll carry your brother." He went over to Lisanna "What are your names anyway?" he asked before picking Elfman up with relative ease.

"I'm Mirajane Strauss, she's Lisanna and the guy you're carrying is our brother Elfman." He nodded in acknowledgement before going to the train station near the town.

The three Strauss siblings were in a compartment with Elfman sleeping on two of the seats there. Kuro was in the hallway watching the scenery go by while leaning on the window.

"So, what do you think about him Mira-nee?" Lisanna smiled with a certain glint in her eyes.

"W-What are you talking about?" Mira looked away.

"Just wanted to know what you think about him." She shrugged.

"…He's good at fighting and patching people up." She said eventually "Though I never saw anyone with magic like his."

"Maybe he's like Natsu and uses Lost Magic." Lisanna offered.

"Maybe." She looked at the boy. He had unruly black hair with a single strand sticking up. His eyes were a cold blue on his heart-shaped face. He had the body of a seasoned runner and was quite tall. Taller than her by around a quarter of a head.

Her gaze was drawn to his left hand. It was covered up completely by a black leather glove and bandages if she saw it right. What could he be hiding?

She sighed and got up "I'm gonna go talk to him." She exited the compartment.

Lisanna giggled to herself. Her sister definitely liked the black haired boy.

" _Hey Kira?"_

" **What is it kid?** _ **"**_

" _I don't say it too often but thanks…for everything."_

" **Don't you go all mushy on me kid."** Kira growled but smiled and chuckled afterwards **"Just did what any diabolical, psycho demon would do. Just make sure not to forget."**

" _That things have a way of working out? I know. That's why I'm not looking for that demon bastard. I have a feeling he'll be looking for me."_

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of the conversation with Kira.

"What is it?" he looked at Mirajane with a deadpan expression.

"Hey look, I was kind of a piece of shit when you helped us and I'd like to apologize." She looked out the window.

He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" she glared.

"Didn't take you for the kind of girl to apologize." He chuckled again "Apology accepted." He shrugged and kept looking out the window.

"So, what kind of magic do you use?" She asked suddenly.

"…" he thought for a bit "A form of darkness magic." He shrugged "I found this sword and now I use its magic." He looked at her "What about you? Take-over?"

"How'd you know?"

"Just a hunch. Figured your brother was using Take-over so I thought you two were using it as well."

"Yeah. We all use Take-over."

"Which branch?"

"…Satan-soul." She said while looking away. She knew her magic was frowned upon. She did turn into a demon after all. Heh, who's to say he won't join the guild now?

"Interesting." He nodded before everything was quiet.

The rest of the ride was made in blissful silence.

* * *

"Well here we are, the Fairy Tail guild." Lisanna proudly proclaimed before she and Mira opened the doors "We're back!" she smiled and everyone looked at them.

What happened to them?

"Lisanna! Are you alright? What happened to Mira and Elfman? Who's that guy?!" a pink haired boy assaulted the white haired girl with questions.

"I'm fine Natsu, It's a long story but he saved us and wants to join the guild." She pointed at the black haired boy carrying Elfman.

"So I guess that was all bark and no bite eh Mira?" an armored girl smirked.

"Shut it Tin-can! I can still beat your ass!" she growled as everyone laughed.

The master of the guild went up to Kuro and asked "Who are you boy?"

"Kuro Tenebris." He said simply before setting Elfman down on a table "I want to join this guild. I heard some good things about it."

"Where do you want your stamp?"

"The back of my right hand, in black."

The old man pressed the stamp on it and after a few seconds the Fairy Tail guild mark appeared.

"Why do you want to join anyway?"

"To kill someone."

The old man glared at him, unleashing his magic power and creating quakes while putting an insane amount of pressure on Kuro.

" _This is insane! Are all guild mages this strong?"_

" **Holy crap! Abandon ship! Mayday, mayday! The old man is too strong!"** Kira yelled in his mind.

" **Kill who?** "the old man asked with a much deeper voice.

"It's a demon." The magic power faded and the pressure was gone along with it "It did something horrible to my mother and I want revenge." Kuro continued.

"Well then as long as you won't bring harm to the guild, then you can join!" the old man smiled "I'm Makarov Dreyar and welcome to Fairy Tail."

Everyone cheered at their new member before a massive brawl erupted. Chairs, tables, bottles and even people were flying and crashing around.

Kuro watched in disbelief.

" _What have I gotten myself into?"_

" **They are crazy…This is my kind of place!"** Kira laughed.

The boy sighed before sitting at a table with that red haired girl from before. She wasn't taking part in the brawl so he assumed she was normal.

"Is this a normal occurrence?" he asked.

"Yes. They are complete fools. This is a guild not a place for fighting. I'm Erza Scarlet by the way." She extended her arm for a handshake.

The two shook hands before a guy was thrown into Erza's strawberry cake.

Kuro blinked and Erza was gone. He looked to the right and there she was, in the middle of the brawl already beating two boys up.

" **Now that girl…is scary as hell."**

" _Agreed."_

He heard a scoff from above him and everyone stopped to look at the source. He looked up and saw a blond man.

"So you're the new guy huh?" the man vanished in a strike of lightning before appearing in the same fashion on the seat beyond him "Wasn't aware Fairy Tail was recruiting weak members." He smirked.

" **This guy is an idiot, kid. Beat his ass for me!"**

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked with a smirk of his own. The guy scowled before chuckling.

"You got guts kid but guts ain't gonna help you when I beat you!" he growled before sending a punch towards Kuro. The punch hit, creating a dust cloud "Too weak." The man smirked.

"I almost didn't see that one coming." Kuro smirked as he sat on the balcony of the second floor "Got anything else up your sleeve, _kid_?" he mocked and twirled his sheathed katana around.

Makarov narrowed his eyes at that katana. It was very familiar. Where did he hear about it?

Natsu and Gray looked up at Kuro. That was awesome!

Erza and Mira couldn't believe that Kuro could be so fast. No human was that fast!

"What's the matter?" Kuro cooed "Cat got your tongue?" he tsked and got up standing on the ledge with impeccable balance "So are we going to fight or what?"

The man dashed behind him before hitting him into the ground.

" **Ouch. Didn't see that one coming did you?"**

" _I thought you were supposed to be on my side."_

" **I am…though you know me. I like to make fun of you! By the way, dodge."**

Kuro didn't need to be told that twice. He rolled out of the way before turning around.

"You should really respect those stronger than you, brat."

"When you see someone, let me know." He smirked and dodged a flying electrified kick by leaning backwards. The man disappeared suddenly before Kuro was struck, then again, and again and again.

" **C'mon kid. Focus dammit!"**

Kuro closed his eyes and expanded his other senses.

" **He uses electricity right? Well lightning is faster than him. He just uses it as a medium. So wait for that distortion of air, feel your hair stand up and strike where he'll appear before he even thinks about it!"**

Kuro smirked before hitting the man with his sheathed sword into a wall, destroying the poor structure in the process.

Makarov did a double take at that. He predicted where Laxus would appear? That took incredible concentration to pull off when you could _see_ your opponent. But that Kuro boy did so with Laxus! Was he some sort of genius?

Kuro opened his eyes before cracking his neck. Lightning struck the location where the man was.

"I've had just about enough of this!" Laxus growled before charging up for a spell.

Kuro smirked before preparing to draw his sword. Black smoke covered him and the surrounding area as a red glow came from the blade "All will die before me..." Kuro muttered the small incantation of the blade.

Makarov's eyes widened. That blade was-

"Muramasa Sword Technique: Wicked Slash!" he yelled and dashed forward, becoming a black and red blur.

"Raging Bolt!" Laxus roared and sent his lightning towards Kuro. The guild master stopped them. He parried the lightning with his light magic and threw Kuro upwards. The black haired man found himself stuck into the ceiling with his katana there.

" _There was no doubt about it, that sword is the Muramasa blade. That's why his name is so familiar. The Tenebris house had that sword in their family for centuries!"_

"That looked more intense than a simple test of strength you two." Makarov berated them "We may fight from time to time but that doesn't mean we would kill any one of ours."

Kuro grunted before taking his sword out of the ceiling and gracefully dropping down. He sheathed his sword and scoffed. He absolutely hated when his fights would be interrupted "Tell that to him." He nodded towards Laxus "He's the one who started it. I just defended myself."

"That last attack didn't seem like defending to me." Makarov glared.

"Hey master, don't you think you're a little harsh here?" Mira stepped up "I mean yeah Kuro could have toned it down a bit but Laxus was the one who started it."

"And he will be punished for it. I was merely trying to get my point across. No more serious fighting from now on."

Laxus looked up at the ceiling and saw the single small cut that Kuro made there. He smirked and got up before dusting himself. He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Kuro raised an eyebrow.

"I've seen what I needed to see. You're weaker than anyone here!" he laughed before teleporting outside the guild.

His smirk was still present as he started walking away. A wooden plank fell and he turned around.

He widened his eyes.

He couldn't believe this.

The whole of the rooftop was completely decimated.

He clenched his fist.

That attack…would have killed him if it hit.

"Kuro Tenebris huh…that guy might be a problem in the future."

* * *

" **He wasn't fighting at full strength."** Kuro nodded.

" _That much was obvious. I think I'm going to like it here."_ Kuro smirked before calming himself down.

A couple of minutes passed and everything was back to normal.

"Yo Kuro!" the pink haired kid yelled "Come on over!" he grinned.

Kuro tilted his head in confusion before going to the kid "What is it?"

"That was really cool! We gotta fight sometimes!"

"Aye! Though Natsu'll probably lose!" The flying cat teased his friend.

" **Uhh, kid you might want to have your eyes checked out. Last time I checked, cats don't fly…and talk."**

"Shut up Happy!" Natsu yelled at the cat.

"Seriously flame-brain? Bothering the new guy already?" a black haired boy came up and extended his hand for Kuro to shake "I'm Gray Fullbuster, don't mind that guy, he doesn't think. His magic must have burned his brain into charcoal." He smirked as Kuro and he shook hands.

" **Why in the holy hell is he naked?!"**

" _Just ignore these things Kira. I have a feeling that everyone here is quirky."_

"You wanna fight Stripper?"

"Bring it on Matchstick!"

"Ahem." Erza coughed and the two were instantly nervous.

"So she's like some kind of enforcer around here?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she's scarier than a monster." Happy whispered "You should see her on a bad day. Usually Natsu and Gray act like best buddies then." The cat laughed.

"Yo new guy!" a brown haired girl yelled from the bar "Think you can hold your liquor?"

"Not today." He shrugged.

"Well whenever you want to share a drink you let me know! Name's Cana by the way. Cana Alberano."

He nodded before he got up "I should go. I need to find a place to stay anyway."

"Bye Kuro!" Natsu grinned as he left the guild.

As Kuro searched for an apartment at this late hour he was unaware of the pair of black eyes watching him "Kuro Tenebris…perhaps you will be strong enough to finish what he started." The figure vanished into black dust before evaporating in air.

The young man eventually found an apartment for himself. He only needed to pay sixty thousand jewels each month as rent but it was well worth it. The apartment was spacious with a kitchen and two rooms along with a large bath. He shrugged and went to bed soon after.

One thing was for sure, nothing would be the same after he joined Fairy Tail. Everything was about to change and unbeknownst to him, he was going to be at the center of that change.

…

…

…

…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The screams of the guild master might as well have woken up the entire country. His screams of 'Money!' and 'Not another one!' pierced the serene silence that usually engulfed the night.

He smirked before looking out the window one last time. The stars were bright and the moon was full.

It was a beautiful sight to behold.

And it unnerved him.

There was something ominous out there.

He could feel it.

He yawned and shook his head. No reason to worry about that now.

In the streets of a city a woman was running for her life. She cursed as she ran right into a dead end. She turned around. Maybe she had enough time to escape!

The growls from the exit proved otherwise. She shuddered and closed her eyes before the creature pounced on her. She screamed just once as the thing tore her body and ate her very being.

" **HUNGER**!" the thing roared in the night and ran on all fours to find its next victim.

 _ **Chapter preview:**_

" _A new mission just came in."_

" _So?"_

" _I want you to come with me. I'd like to evaluate your skills further."_

" _So what's this mission?"_

" _A series of murders in a city called Wolf's Den."_

" _Where were you on the night of the murder?"_

" _I DON'T KNOW!"_

" _ **Things just a got a whole lot more furry, kid."**_


	2. The Wolf's Den

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail. The only thing I do own is my character Kuro Tenebris.**

* * *

" **Rise and shine sleeping beauty!"** The ever present voice of his partner greeted him with the first ray of sunlight.

"Is it morning already?" he muttered as he got up. He yawned and rubbed his face groggily before going to the bathroom. A quick shower should get him on his feet. He took his clothes off before getting in the shower. He winced a bit at the cold water.

It's better to take baths in cold water as it builds up your immunity to both the cold and any disease you might get. Or at least that's what Kira would say. He let the cold water wake his body up before he stopped the flow of water and got out of the shower. He started drying himself up before he glanced in the window. His left arm was completely black up to the shoulder with the red dragon circling it. He got used to it rather quickly so it didn't bother him at all.

He looked at his chest and abdomen both marred by numerous scars. The only good thing about that was that he had a well-defined six-pack.

" **You can thank me later for that."** Kira bragged.

"Why of course. Thank you for the countless days of no food and torture to get a six-pack. Wohoo!" he said while rolling his eyes.

" **Aww, look at you being sarcastic. You're more like me with every passing day!"**

"Dammit." Kuro whined before chuckling. He shook his head and geared up in his usual clothes before setting out to Fairy Tail, katana in left hand.

" **So you want go on a job or what?"**

" _Yes. I can't stick around those fools. I'll just get rusty."_

" **Wow, brutal."**

He smirked as he entered the guild hall. Mira was there along with her siblings and Natsu as well. He spotted a tuff of red hair on the second floor.

The master was ever present, drinking some wine with a massive frown on his face.

"Yo Kuro!" Natsu grinned "Wanna spar now?"

"Not yet Natsu. Maybe tomorrow. I want to go on a job." Natsu pouted before grinning "Wanna head out together?"

Kuro shrugged as he looked at the request board.

"It's pretty useless to look at the request board now!" Mira yelled at him from her table "The good jobs are posted later in the day."

"What about S-class missions?" he asked.

"Those are on the second floor and unfortunately only S-class wizards can go on them." Makarov explained "If you can manage to convince one to let you tag along then you can go."

"Master!" Erza asked from the second floor as she walked near the edge "Has Kuro arrived yet?" she asked.

"What is it?" he asked and looked up at her.

" **Hopefully sexy time!"**

"There is a new S-class mission."

"So?" he raised an eyebrow. Not like he could go on one…technically. He could just steal one whenever he saw fit. It's not like it was that hard.

"I am going on it and would like you to accompany me. I would like to evaluate your skills even further."

"Very well." He nodded.

"Oh come on! Why do you get to have all the fun?" Natsu whined.

"I'll fight you when I come back."

"Yes!" Natsu grinned.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

"Meet me at the train station in half an hour. I need to pack a few things." He nodded and was about to leave.

"Kuro-san!" Elfman called him.

"What is it?" he didn't look at him.

He heard a small thud. It didn't take a genius to know that Elfman kneeled behind him "Thank you! If it weren't for you Lisanna and Mira would have died." He kept muttering thank you.

"Get up." Kuro said "If you want to thank me, protect your family from now on. Don't let others do your work for you."

* * *

"Those are a few things?"

"Yes. I know that it's less than I normally bring but I had to hurry."

" **She brings more than that? You were right kid. These people are quirky as hell!"**

" _Told you so."_

"I have a question."

"Shoot."

"How much of that is strawberry cheese cake?" he smirked. She blushed faintly before looking away.

"About half."

"You must really love that." He noted before the two got on the train.

The two sat across from each other. Kuro looked outside the window. He never really liked transportation. It was too inconsistent. Sometimes late, sometimes earlier. He didn't like it when things weren't precise.

"So what's the mission?" he asked before looking at Erza.

She put down her fork and glared at him slightly. Couldn't he ask at a better moment? Couldn't he see that she was enjoying the greatest food to have ever been made? Nonetheless she answered.

"A series of murders in a city called Wolf's Den."

"Wolf's Den?"

"Yes. It's called that because of the many packs of wild wolves surrounding the city. The people there learned how to live peacefully with the animals.

"What do we know about the murders?"

"Not much. Just that the bodies of the victims are mutilated beyond any recognition."

" **Sounds like someone we know."**

" _Could be him. Not really sure."_

"Could the murders be caused by a pack of wolves?"

"Very unlikely. The wolves have never attacked the ones living there."

"So it's very probable that the murderer is from the outside." He sighed and took a nap.

* * *

Wolf's Den, a city housing a somewhat unpopular guild-Quatro Cerberus. Its members consisted mostly -if not only- of male members. They had a tendency of trying to be as wild as they could be. Oddly enough, the guild didn't try to fix this small mystery.

"What do you think Kuro, should we ask at the local guild?"

"I think we should split up. I'll look around and try to gather information from the locals. You see what you can find at the guild. Do we have a list of victims and their families?"

"Sadly no. I can try to find one at the guild if they investigated into it."

"Alright. We meet up at the bridge after a couple hours." She nodded and walked towards the guild.

" _Do you sense something?"_

"… **Smells like dog crap everywhere."** Kira whined **"We just had to go with Scarlet on this crappy mission…Get it?"** Kira chuckled to himself.

" _Your jokes are not so free of crap too."_

" **Touché."**

Kuro smirked before going up to a man "Excuse me sir. Are you aware of the murders that have happened around town lately?"

"Murders?" he asked "Stop trying to act like a Rune Knight and let the professionals do their job. If you and every other kid would stop getting in the way then everything would be just fine." the man walked away after that. Kuro frowned before someone knocked over a merchant's wares. He looked there and saw a dirty woman wearing black trousers and a red shirt.

" **She knows something."**

He smirked and ran after her. She panicked and ran as well. She ran through the crowd, her smaller form allowing her to slip through them effectively. He followed her expertly before he lost her in the crowd.

"Dammit." He grunted before he climbed on a cart. He looked ahead and spotted her going into an alleyway. He frowned and followed her into it. There was no sign of the woman.

A small grunt was heard from above. He looked up and saw her climbing on the roof. He smirked and quickly climbed after her. He pulled himself up and saw her running towards the river.

" **If she reaches that river, you might not be able to find her again."**

He nodded and ran after, vaulting over the small metallic vents and jumping to a smaller building. The woman looked behind her before she jumped off the building. A splash of water was heard. He got to the edge and waited a bit for her to come up for air.

He looked around, maybe she tried to trick him. A large cart with hay was there. He smirked and yelled "Dammit!" before turning around. The hay rustled and the woman came out with a smirk on her face. She began walking away before Kuro jumped down, rolled to absorb the impact and used the roll to propel himself towards her.

She couldn't dodge as he pounced on her "The murders. What do you know about them?" he smirked as she shivered a bit.

* * *

At the Quatro Cerberus guild.

"Titania. What are you doing here, hottie?" Bachus, a mage that could fight her on equal footing, asked her as soon as she entered.

She ignored the 'hottie' comment and answered "I and someone else took a job here. A series of murders have been happening around this town. Know anything about them?"

He thought for a few seconds before shrugging "I did try to solve it but the guy I brought up wasn't the guilty one so I got no clue. The old man might know something but I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"Another thing. Do you have a list of the victims' families?"

"Sure thing. It's with the old man. If you can get him to give it you than it's yours." Bachus shrugged.

She nodded and went upstairs to the master's office. She knocked once and entered.

"Titania of Fairy Tail. To what do I owe this pleasure?" the master of the guild smiled while signing some paperwork.

"I want the list with the families of the victims."

"Why is that?"

"I and another member took this job."

"And you think you can crack this case open huh? Alright." He opened a drawer and after a minute or so, tossed her a scroll "By the way. Take Ron with you. He's new but he needs experience. You don't mind do you?" She shook her head before the two exited. The master yelled to everyone in the guild hall "Hey Ron! Come here, you got a job to do!"

A smaller boy showed up almost instantly and started talking "What is it master?" he looked towards her and did a double take "Wow! You're Erza Scarlet! I'm a really big fan." He smiled.

She had no reaction but he continued to smile nonetheless "She and another guild member of hers took that job about the murders. Think you can help her?"

"Of course sir!" he saluted.

The guild master nodded and left. Erza and Ron soon followed and exited the guild. Ron was a small boy with wild grey hair and red cat like eyes "So where to Scarlet-san?" he asked.

"We need to rendezvous with Kuro at the bridge."

"Kuro? Is he your boyfriend Scarlet-san?"

True to her name, she blushed before she hit Ron on the back of his head "Don't be ridiculous. I have no such feelings for my comrade." She proclaimed.

"Sorry Scarlet-san." He whined while holding his injured head.

"W-When is your friend going to show up?" the woman asked him as he leaned on the bridge.

"Soon I hope." He sighed "You're going to have to lead us to your friend."

"What if she doesn't believe him?"

"She should as long as he is honest." He sighed "Look. If your friend is innocent then he has nothing to worry about." He looked to the right and saw Erza walking with a boy beside her.

"Who is he?"

"Hi! I'm Ron. I'm here to help you guys with solving this case. I'm pretty new in this town so I need some experience." The younger boy extended his arm.

Kuro took it and the two shook hands "Kuro." He said simply.

"Here." Erza handed him the scroll "It's the list of the victims' families." He nodded and pocketed it "Who's she?" she nodded towards the woman.

"She's a friend of the prime suspect for the crime. A guy called Jack Aikawa. He's secluded himself in a part of the city and she can lead us straight to him."

She nodded awkwardly before the four made their way into the sewers.

Ron scrounged up him nose "Damn. I hate sewers, I can barely think with all these bad smells."

" _All_ these bad smells? I smell only one." Kuro commented.

"My nose is probably better than yours , Kuro-san." Ron grinned.

"Here it is." The woman stopped at a grate. She knocked in a complex sequence before the grate opened. The four stepped in and the grate quickly closed.

"Are you okay Rika? Did anyone follow yo-" the gruff man stopped talking as he saw the three mages. He grabbed Rika and stood in front of her protectively "Who are you? Did you hurt Rika?!" he growled at them.

"Calm yourself." Erza said "We're not here to fight you. We just want some answers."

" **Boooring!"**

"You're Jack Aikawa aren't you?"

"What of it?"

"You're suspected of murdering countless civilians."

"THAT'S A LIE!" he growled.

Erza instantly requiped her sword and Ron set into a stance.

"It might be, but the authorities don't think that. Your alibi is shady at best but there is one saving grace." He smirked "You didn't have a motive."

"Exactly. Why the hell would I kill anyone?"

"Erza. Mind doing me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"You and Ron check the library for any records about killings. Make sure you search for previous years as well." He handed her back the scroll. She nodded and the two left.

"Now, let's have a little talk." He smirked at Jack and the woman.

* * *

"Do you need any help miss?" the librarian asked Erza as she searched for the needed documents.

"Do you have any records of past crimes?"

"They are in the restricted section of the library. I'm afraid you can't search there." She said before Erza's glare changer her answer.

The red headed mage was sitting at a table along with Ron, looking through the documents there.

Ron quickly arranged the books and papers in a neatly fashion "Sorry." He grinned "I'm a bit of a neat freak."

Nothing of interest came up for about an hour of searching.

"Hmm." She muttered before leaning forward.

"Found something Scarlet-san?" Ron asked.

"Yes. Records from about four hundred years ago. A creature resembling a wolf kept attacking this town, demanding sacrifice until a brave warrior used his magic and took control of the beast." She grabbed another set of papers "But the killings start again every fifty years." She rubbed her chin.

"Maybe the killers make their sons do the work."

"No. The people did some blood tests on previous known murderers and they shared nothing in common." She looked down.

What was missing?

* * *

"Where were you on the night of the last murder?" Kuro asked while blocking the exit.

"I don't know. I don't remember anything from that night. Just…blurs and flashes."

"Where were you on the night of the last murder?" Kuro asked again.

"I. Don't. Know." Jack growled.

"Please. You're hurting him."

"Stay out of this." Kuro glared at her before he widened his eyes. He smirked and grabbed her before looking at Jack.

"Rika!" he stepped forward before Kuro lightly turned her head.

"Ah, ah, ah." Kuro said "If you don't remember, I'll just snap her neck."

"I told you I can't!" he yelled "Just let her go! She's got nothing to do with this!" Jack yelled.

"Just tell me where you were on that night and I'll let her go."

"Fuck you! I don't fucking know okay?!"

"Not good enough. Remember!" Kuro yelled.

"I'm trying!" he clenched his hands over his head.

"Where. Were. You?" Kuro stressed out every word.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Jack roared before his form took a new form. He grew black fur and also grew taller. His hands grew in length and muscle mass as did the rest of his body. His slowly turned longer, more pointed. He growled as his teeth turned into ferocious fangs and his eyes blackened. His clothes burst and his new form towered over Kuro.

Jack was a werewolf.

" **Things just got a whole lot more furry kid."** Kira grinned from his mindscape.

" _Don't need to tell me that twice."_ Kuro grunted before throwing the woman away and blocking a slash from the werewolf. He managed to block the slash but the force easily knocked him up and through the ceiling. He burst out of the ground and into the streets. The sun set and it was now night without a single star on the sky. The werewolf followed him with a mighty leap from the sewers.

It roared **"PROTECT!"** and tried to bite him but Kuro rolled out of the way with ease. He got up and was immediately slammed back into the ground by Jack. His claw was now at his throat ready to tear it apart. The droll escaping his jaws were proof that Jack was going to do more than just kill him.

Kuro scowled and kicked the werewolf off of him. He wheezed and gasped for air as the werewolf fell down.

" _Can't get grabbed like that again."_

" **No shit kid. Remember you gotta take him in alive."**

" _Perfect. I have to hold back while fighting this guy! Why did I get out of bed today?"_ he groaned before widening his eyes. Jack was up and preparing to charge at him. Kuro jumped, avoiding the split-second charge. He spun around and blocked a slash with his sheathed sword before being sent into the nearby building there.

The werewolf howled once in superiority before slowly advancing towards the downed mage. He growled before getting up. A dark aura surrounded him and he smirked at the transformed human. The werewolf growled and charged forward. Kuro punched once and sent his enemy into the ground. He jumped over him and grunted before kicking him into bar stand. He grabbed him by the head before throwing him away and into a different wall. He dashed after him and slammed his head into the wall there, leaving a bloody imprint along with Jack's consciousness.

"Looks like he was guilty." Kuro muttered before he fell unconscious. Blood started pooling around his abdomen.

The next morning.

He woke up and groaned as the sun hit his face directly.

"How are you feeling?" Erza asked from beside him.

"Like crap."

" _Any permanent damage Kira?"_

" **Except for your dignity? Nope."**

"We found you passed out after that fight. Rika said that you were the one to provoke him."

"I was testing a theory." Kuro groaned and got up "Anyway what happened?"

"He's to be executed tomorrow. I'd say we did our job but…"

"It feels bitter doesn't it?"

"That too but there's something that's been bugging me." Kuro motioned for her to go ahead "While I was in the library checking for other crimes Ron said something extremely interesting…"

" _Interesting." Erza said. She found a list of every family member that was murdered during the past years. Narukami, Amagi, Hanamura, Tatsumi. She checked the list "Narukami, Amagi, Hanamura, Tatsumi."_

" _That proves it! That Jack guy is the murderer!"_

 _She nodded and went outside to meet up with Kuro and tell him about what she found._

"Now that I think about that didn't prove anything concrete. All I said were a bunch on names, names that Ron shouldn't know because the master of Quatro Cerberus said he's new."

"In other words, Ron knows more about the case than he lets on."

"Yes." Kuro looked down.

" **Don't beat yourself up over it kid. Everyone makes mistakes."**

" _Not me. I can't afford to make more mistakes."_

" **Look Kuro. It's only human to make mistakes."**

"…" He got up dressed quickly "So the case's not over yet." He said.

"We should go. We technically finished our job." Erza said while narrowing her eyes.

"So you're just gonna let an innocent man die?" he growled "That's pretty low coming from you, Titania. And here I was thinking that Fairy Tail had _some_ honor." He rubbed his left shoulder. Thank goodness no one took off his bandages while he was here. He left soon after.

" **That was pretty out of character of you kid."**

" _Who cares? The moment I leave someone innocent to die when I can do something to save them is the moment I stop living myself!"_

" **Deep. Nine levels of hell deep."** Kira laughed.

Kuro smirked at his demon. Always knowing how to lighten up the place a bit.

He took out the list. Five families were hurt. The sun was just rising. He still had time. The black haired teen quickly made his way to the first family on the list thanks to the help of some of the locals.

He knocked on the door and a woman with red puffy eyes opened "What is it?" she asked impatiently.

"Narukami?" he asked, making sure he has the right house.

"Yes." She nodded "What do you want?" she asked and opened the door wide open.

"I am investigating the murders that have been happening lately. I need to ask you a few questions."

"Well then go ahead."

"Were there any witnesses at the scene of the crime?"

"…My daughter. She was coming back home from a long journey and her brother decided to wait for her. They were coming home when…" she stopped and cried.

"You'll have to focus. The life of a man is at stake here."

"…You're…You're right." She wiped her tears away "If you want you can talk to my daughter. She might be able to tell you more about it than me." She let Kuro in.

" **Wow kid. You actually might get lucky and don't need to ask the other families."**

"Here you go. Hana-chan. There's a boy here to see you."

The door opened and a girl with looks like the mother except her blonde hair stepped out "What?" she asked angrily.

"I need you to tell me about what happened that night."

"Why? I don't like to remember things like that."

"Because you can save a man if you remember correctly."

She sighed "Fine. I was coming back from this guild I wanted to join called Mermaid Heel. It's new so I thought I could join them. Anyway, when I came back I and my brother walked back home and decided to take a shortcut. Next thing I know a…giant grey wolf jumps us. I know he hit my brother once before a black blur knocked him away. I dragged my brother out of there, looked back and saw two wolves fighting each other." She sighed and closed her eyes tightly "After I dragged him for two streets maybe…I heard a howl. The grey wolf charged towards us. Bro knocked me before…before…"

"That's enough. I already got what I wanted." Kuro nodded "Thank you for the cooperation." He said as he left.

" **Well kid?"**

" _I still need to check the other families. From what she said there were two werewolves. The black one must be Jack but I don't know who the other is."_

Next was the Amagi house.

"He was a good tracker. That much I know. My daughter was really good at masking her presence and hiding. There's no way she could have been found by normal means." The mother spoke "Also, people that witnessed that said that there were two killers,"

The other two houses all reported the same thing. Two beings, one grey and one black fighting before the grey one won.

* * *

" **So kid? Got your verdict?"**

" _All the puzzle pieces are here, scrambled and unorganized. The only thing we need to do now is to arrange them."_ Kuro thought to his demon as he entered the library. He took out a large piece of paper and wrote everything he knew about the case in a circle.

"Alright let's see." He muttered "He's a good tracker…but that's every werewolf. Just the mature ones have a good sense of smell even when human…"

"He attacked only these families when he could have killed the witnesses."

"That's because he has a grudge on them." Erza spoke suddenly from behind him. He turned around and saw her with a book in her hands "Here. Page 43, paragraph three."

"I'll take your word for it." He smirked. So she decided to help huh?

"What else do we know?"

"We know he has a solid alibi. But he's hiding in plain sight, I know that for sure. Every criminal does that…"

" _I'm pretty new in this town so I need some experience."_ Kuro widened his eyes a bit.

" _Damn. I hate sewers, I can barely think with all these bad smells."_

" _My nose is probably better than yours Kuro-san."_

"It's Ron…" he muttered.

"What?"

"Ron's the killer."

"That's ridiculous."

"Think about it. He's new but he somehow knows those names? And what about his sense of smell? Only mature werewolves have that while in human form!" he smirked "The 'new to town' act? It's the perfect alibi." He smirked "Gotcha you bastard."

Erza had to agree with him. The facts were there.

"Scarlet-san." A Rune Knight spoke up suddenly "I am here to inform you that the execution will take place now. If you wish to participate you may come." And with that he was gone.

"…" Erza shared a look with him. A nod and they were off towards the central square.

He and Erza ran but got blocked off by the carriages there. Kuro snarled and climbed a building next to the blockage. Erza simply requiped into her Heaven Wheel armor and flew upwards. Kuro looked at her before he climbed faster. He pulled himself up and started running on the building towards the central square. Erza was near him flying to match his speed.

"What will you do once you reach the execution?"

"I'll just save Jack and beat Ron up. Seems simple enough." Kuro shrugged.

" **That's my boy!"** Kira cheered with a grin on his face.

* * *

"Rika don't look. It'll all be over soon."

"Jack! Please let him go! He's innocent!" she struggled in the grip of the Rune Knights.

"Just close your eyes, Rika." He looked down.

"Noooo!" she yelled as the massive halberd came down on her friend's neck.

A gasp erupted from the crowd gathered there. The blow was parried by Kuro's sheathed sword.

"Kuro-san?" Ron muttered from the crowd.

"You are interfering with official Magic Council business! Step aside before you are charged with aiding a criminal."

"Shut up." Kuro grunted before punching the Rune Knight off the podium there "You got the wrong man. Jack Aikawa is innocent."

"Arrest the bastard!" the Rune Knight general ordered before everyone was downed by Erza's swordsmanship.

"Thank you Erza."

"If he's not the killer then who is?" Ron asked "We found proof remember Kuro-san?"

"When we were searching the library, I listed a couple of names that were victims. But you had no way of knowing about them since you were new to the town and its history!" Erza pointed her sword at Ron "Confess to your crimes and maybe your punishment won't be as severe!"

Kuro narrowed his eyes as Ron started explaining "I knew about them because I got interested in the case and looked into a bunch of stuff. I figured a lot too, like how all the past murderers were werewolves like Jack-san!" he hurriedly spoke.

Kuro smirked "You must have misunderstood, Ron. Jack wasn't a werewolf from the start."

"He…wasn't?"

"How do you know this Kuro?"

"I saw his fur. A werewolf's fur turns into the same color as their hair in human form after a month of living as a werewolf. His hair is brown while his fur as a werewolf was black as night. That only means that he's a newly made werewolf." Kuro smirked. All those lessons about the supernatural finally paid off.

" **You can thank me later."**

"It's true…" Rika spoke up "Two weeks ago Jack protected me from one but got bit instead of me."

"…" Ron looked down.

"So. Got anything to say?" Kuro smirked before cutting Jack's binds and chains. He rubbed his wrists before thanking Kuro.

"...s"

"Care to speak up louder?" Erza ordered more than anything.

"WHO THE FUCK CARES?! THEY ALL DESERVED TO DIE! THIS LAND BELONGED TO THE WOLVES! WHO THE WHERE THEY TO JUST CLAIM THIS LAND AS THEIR OWN HUH!?" He screamed and crouched down before turning into a werewolf. His bones popped and his flesh tore itself as he transformed.

He was twice as large as Jack's previous form with dark grey fur like his hair. He hissed and slashed the ground in a circle around him before staring hungrily at Kuro **"HUNGER!"** he roared and got on all fours **"FEED!"** he hissed and charged forward. Kuro smirked. He got used to fighting werewolves. He leaned backwards, avoiding the blow before kicking him upwards.

"Let's go Erza." She nodded and the two got to work. Slashing at the beast and dodging all of his blows. He might have been effective against an untrained target but Kuro and Erza were far from untrained.

Kuro dodged a horizontal slash before roundhouse kicking Ron's whole body towards Erza.

"Heaven's Wheel- Pentagram Sword!" She yelled and cut him in the form of a star. He dropped soon after.

"Well done Kuro. You are indeed strong."

"You haven't seen anything yet Erza. I didn't even need to use my magic."

" **Laaaaaame!"**

"NOOOOOO!" Jack yelled suddenly and dashed at them. His body was punctured on the claws of the werewolf. Erza and Kuro froze…

"JAAAAAACK!" Rika yelled and collapsed on the ground.

" _No…"_

" **Kid, kid. You gotta focus. Don't get angry."**

" _Do you love your friend?"_

" _Of course!"_

" _Then believe in him. Have some faith in your friend. If you believe he's innocent then he is."_

" _You really think so?"_

" _I know so. And you still haven't answered my question."_

" _Huh?"_

" _Do you love him? More than a friend?"_

" _I… I think I do."_

" _Then tell him after all this mystery is over."_

" _I, I will!" she smiled._

" _Why…?"_

" **Kid, listen to me. KURO LISTEN!...DAMMIT!"**

" _I'll kill him."_

A dark aura burst out of Kuro, sending everyone flying into the walls.

He grabbed Jack's mutilated body and set it down. He snarled "I'm going to kill you." He glared at the werewolf before the aura became even darker if possible. His skin cracked, showing a deep red glow with black smoke coming out of the cracks. He cracked his neck and dashed once. He growled as he punched the wall the werewolf was stuck in. The whole building exploded in a shower of concrete.

The beast unfortunately dodged and prepared to pounce on him. He waited until the last moment before kicking it in the face and sending it flying. He looked at it and drew his sword, the aura around him became wilder and twisted around as his right hand touched the handle of his sword "All will die before me." He muttered before dashing once. He stopped suddenly as the werewolf fell. His skin went back to normal and the dark aura vanished.

" **Finally! Did I get through to you kid?"**

" _Kira? What's going on?"_

" **My power got to your head. I had to cut you off from it. This happened back in the first year of training remember?"**

" _Y-Yeah."_

Ron was about to get up before Erza stomped on his head, knocking him unconscious "What was that Kuro?"

"...I lost control." He muttered "Sometimes that happens when I'm angry. It's not that often though." He shrugged.

"Are you in control now?"

"Yeah." He said.

A cough was heard. Kuro widened his eyes.

"Jack!"

"Hey Rika." The boy muttered groggily "Why do I feel like I'm sedated."

"Your werewolf blood must have kept you alive and allowed you to regenerate." Kuro explained while mentally hitting himself. That was a moment of complete and utter weakness! He let his emotions get the best of him and didn't think that he could just regenerate from those wounds.

"Hey Kuro, Erza…Thanks for saving me." Jack smiled.

"Jack…There's something I need to tell you." Rika shyly spoke.

"I love you too." He grinned.

"W-What?"

"I knew for a while now." He was hit on the head "Ow. What was that for?"

"For not telling me sooner, jerk."

Kuro and Erza nodded to each other and left the two alone. They talked to the Rune Knights and explained everything that happened, except for Kuro's outburst of course. The reward was granted by the Rune Knights as well. Two million Jewels split in half was still more money than Kuro ever had.

The two were on their way back to Fairy Tail. Kuro was even more silent than before. He looked over the changing landscape but his eyes were glazed.

"Kuro." Erza said.

"…"

"Kuro?"

"…"

"KURO!" she yelled and hit him.

He winced "What was that for?" he growled.

"Are you alright?"

"Well you just gave me a headache so no." he grunted "What if I lose control again?"

 **"…"**

"You won't and besides, even if you do, no one will hate you for it." Erza explained "Fairy Tail would never turn their back on one of their own. We stick together, we fight together, we laugh, dance and cry together."

"Thank you." He gave a soft and small smile. "I'll just sleep a bit. Wake me up when we're back in Magnolia." He said before grunting "Or I would sleep if the damn train would have more comfortable chairs."

She chuckled "Here." She patted the spot next to her "You can put your head on my lap. Maybe it'll help."

He raised an eyebrow before complying with her request. He put his head on her lap and slept peacefully.

Erza looked at his peaceful face. She blushed slightly. His hair looked so soft…She began running her hands through his hair absentmindedly. She had to admit. Kuro was handsome. He had a cold air around him but was actually rather kind to people and would help them.

* * *

"We're back." Erza announced. Kuro was beside her. He hadn't said a word, instead he nodded.

"Alright! I've been waiting for this, Kuro!" Natsu yelled and charged at him. Kuro suddenly remembered he promised to fight Natsu when he came back. He sighed and sidestepped Natsu before tripping him and sending him rolling into a wall.

"Sorry Natsu, I'm not in the mood." He smirked at the pink haired boy.

"I take it the mission was a success?" Makarov asked.

"Yes master. We had some troubles with the Rune Knights but we sorted everything out."

"Oh thank God. I wouldn't have been able to handle so much paperwork." Makarov sighed happily.

"…" Kuro didn't speak a word before turning on his heel and walking away. He waved a goodbye as he exited out the door.

"What happened on that mission Tin-can? Kuro looks like shit!"

"He said he lost control of his magic. He almost killed someone."

"He what?"

"He almost killed the one we had to bring in."

"Did you see some of his magic?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"He's incredibly strong."

"He can't be stronger than Gildarts right?" Mira laughed awkwardly.

"…" Erza didn't have an answer. Neither did anyone in the guild.

* * *

Kuro was in his shower.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he yelled with every punch to the wall.

" **As fun as it is punching stuff, it ain't gonna help you now kid."**

"I lost control Kira. I. Lost. Control. What if I lose control again?"

" **If it happens you know those Fairy Tail people will be there for you. You already saw how they act with Elfman. They act the same, as if nothing ever happened."**

"They are loyal to their members aren't they?" Kuro chuckled.

" **Get some shut eye kid."**

"You never said something better than that." Kuro and Kira chuckled.

* * *

"You felt it too haven't you?"

"Yes. Such power…It's unbelievable."

"Should we act now?"

"No. We will wait."

"We should just go and kill him. Not like he can do much to us on his own."

"Send a few hunters, to…test him further."

"Yes lord."

"Kuro Tenebris, you're power will be mine."

 **A/N: And so the plot thickens. Kuro is finally starting to see Fairy Tail as his comrades and Erza is starting to see him as more than a friend, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.**

 **So cya readers in the next chapter!**

 **Chapter Preview:**

 _"How can I lil'sis? There's finally someone who I can fight on equal grounds with! Oh I wonder how he screams!"_

 _"When were you going to tell us about Kira?"_

" _How can we trust you when you don't trust us!?"_

" _Kuro's a part of Fairy Tail you hear?! You want to get to him, you gotta go through me!"_

" _Weaklings…DIE!"_


	3. A New Enemy

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Kuro Tenebris!**

* * *

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"I told you a hundred times Natsu. No!" Kuro growled and turned around.

"Come on man! Hang out at the guild! We're nakama after all!" Natsu grinned at the glaring Kuro.

"You might consider me nakama but I don't." Kuro grunted "I joined so I can get stronger. Simple as that." He scowled before vanishing in thin air.

Natsu frowned before going back at the guild.

"Matchstick!" Gray yelled as soon as he entered before charging at him. He stopped suddenly "The hell are you looking so down for?"

"Kuro doesn't want to hang out with everyone." Natsu muttered.

"Give him time Natsu." The short master spoke "He needs to…adjust."

"The master is right Natsu." Erza affirmed "Leave him be and let him come to us."

"Can't believe I'm saying this but tin-can's right." Mira shrugged.

"Yeah." Natsu sighed before glaring at Gray "What did you call me Stripper!?"

"I called you matchstick, flame brain!"

"You wanna fight ice princess?"

"Bring it on!" and with that the usual brawl started anew.

Makarov was deep in thought as were Erza and Mirajane.

From what Erza told them, Kuro had a lot of power at his fingertips but not fully under control. Makarov briefly humored the idea of Kuro turning against them if it meant achieving his goal. He shook his head. Fairy Tail had a way of changing everyone in it for the better…his thoughts drifted to his son, Ivan…Mostly, everyone. He really hoped that the young man wouldn't have a change of heart.

Mirajane's thoughts were less accusatory and more thankful. Even after these last days she was utterly thankful towards the black haired mage. If he wasn't there… she couldn't fathom the idea of her sister dying and Elfman being her killer. She shook her head and got up before going to find Kuro. She had to thank him properly…somehow.

Erza couldn't help but be wary of Kuro. He was an incredibly powerful wizard. He did fight with Laxus and reached a stalemate after all. The master _did_ intervene but she had a feeling that neither of the two combatants were at full strength…or even at half. Overall he was an exceptional warrior but there was always something…off about him. He often stared into space and whenever he did that he always changed his facial expression. It was like he was talking to someone.

On the road to town.

"Would you stop that?" a young petite girl asked angrily.

"How can I lil'sis? There's finally someone who I can fight on equal grounds with!" a tall athletic young man grinned sadistically "Oh I wonder how he screams!" he moaned a bit.

"You, are a total sadist." The young girl sighed before stopping at a sign.

'Magnolia-5 miles north.'

The young girl smiled before taking her hood off, letting her short green hair out and sighing. The cloaks were fashionable but did they really have to make you feel like you're in an oven?

"Kuro Tenebris huh?" she muttered before she and her brother continued to walk towards Magnolia.

On the outskirts of the town.

Kuro was practicing his sword techniques with a deadpan expression on his face. He grunted and slashed at a tree. The heat was almost unbearable but it was a good thing as it increased his tolerance to fire based magic…he hoped.

" _We're nakama!"_

He screwed up his hit and ended up tripping right into the tree he attacked.

" **Ouch…Something on your mind tripster?"**

"Nothing." He groaned and rubbed his forehead before going back to practicing.

" **Aha."** Kira's voice dripped with sarcasm **"And I suppose what that pink haired kid said isn't bothering you."**

"Of course." He smirked.

" **Sure it doesn't."**

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, suddenly angry. A rare thing for him "That I want to fully join them? To smile and be happy like them? To forget what happened to me?"

" **I'm asking you to live a little! You already know that those people there haven't had a happy childhood or life even! Stop acting like what happened to you is the most horrifying thing ever…because it ain't! There are some people that lost a lot more…"**

Kuro winced. He knew he crossed a line. Kira's life wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows…Compared to his tenants life, his was like a stay at a five star hotel. "Sorry." He muttered.

" **It's…It's nothing."** The tone in which he said that in meant more than nothing but Kuro didn't press him. Some things are best let forgotten. He shook his head before heading back home. He wasn't in the mood for any requests…actually now that he thought about it. A request should make him lose some stress. With that thought he turned around and went to the guild.

He never noticed the pair of blue eyes watching him from behind a tree. Mira frowned…Who was he talking to?

* * *

The massive brawl was still there. He grunted before quickly making his way to the request board and picking a job.

'Eliminate the Dark Guild in the vicinity of Ravenwood. Reward 500000 split amongst the wizards.'

" _Why did it need to specify that?"_

" **Maybe it's a co-joined request? Like you'll work together with people from other guilds."**

" _Maybe."_ He shrugged and tore it off the board. He signaled to Makarov who simply nodded. He was out the door and into a train car in about half an hour.

"Excuse us." A young girl with light green hair entered the guild "But can we talk to the guild master please?" she asked as the tall figure of a cloaked male appeared behind her.

"What is it young ones?" the short master spoke.

"Has a Kuro Tenebris joined your guild?" she asked.

"…Yes. What of it?" he frowned.

The young girl sighed "He plans to do it again Nii-sama."

"Not if we can stop him." The brother grunted before overlooking everyone.

"Plans to do what?" Erza asked as she got up from her table.

"He never told you, did he?" the tall boy sighed "Go ahead sis."

"We used to friends with him. Best friends in fact…until he snapped and killed everyone in our small village. He slaughtered everyone…my friends…" she looked down as small droplets of water dropped down "Our mom…she thought of him as her own son and begged him to stop. He just grinned and killed her anyway. Nii-sama and I were the only ones to escape." She sniffled as her brother hugged and comforted her.

Makarov frowned. There were reports about a massacre in a village but the murderer was never found.

"In what year?" Makarov asked.

"It was x780, June 20th." The brother grunted.

The date matched. His frown intensified. Did Kuro really do it?

"Back then he kept calling himself Kira during the killings…" the sister muttered "It was horrible. That's why we would like to talk to him, see if he really did it. If he lies I can tell since my magic allows me check. Could we stay until he shows up please?"

"Very well. But it may take a while. He has recently went on a mission."

"We can wait."

Everyone nodded and quieted down after that.

On the train.

Kuro yawned before stretching and looking out the window. He should be in Raventown in about three hours. He nodded to himself before putting his feet up across the compartment and getting comfortable.

"Excuse me, is this compartment free? The other ones are completely full." A girl's voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked to the left and saw white.

" **ARGH! My eyes! Too. Much. White!"**

"No." he said before straightening up. He motioned for her to sit down and she followed after closing the door.

All was silent for a few seconds. Only the sounds of the train could be heard and the occasional bird could be seen passing by the window.

"Are you a mage?" the girl broke the silence "From what I can tell, your sword is not normal." She registered what she said before apologizing "I apologize if I'm intruding."

"Not at all. Yes I am a mage. I'm on my way to Raventown."

"Oh? So am I. What guild are you from uhh…"

"Kuro Tenebris." He raised his hand for a handshake "From Fairy Tail. You?"

"Kagura Mikazuchi." The two shook hands "I am from Mermaid Heel. We are not very well known…well compared to Fairy Tail that is." She smiled slightly.

"Popularity means nothing while on the battlefield." He said sharply before looking outside.

" **She's like you."**

" _I know…Wonder who put her on this path."_

" **Got no clue kid."**

"Would you like to partner up?"

"Suit yourself." He shrugged before the two kept talking, mostly about their magic. Of course, Kuro kept most of his a secret. Two hours passed before the train stopped.

"Hmm. Looks like we're here." Kuro muttered.

Kaguro nodded before they got off the train.

The two were walking through town and with every step that Kuro made he was being disgusted more and more. Children were seen begging on the streets. Most of them were malnourished and had rags for clothes.

Kuro shook his head and continued walking until he felt a tug on his shirt. Turning around he saw a little girl, no older than eight looking up to him with her hands outstretched. She had an innocent smile on her face. She was missing a couple of teeth and had clothes that barely covered anything.

Crouching down to her eye-level Kuro asked" What is it?"

"C-can you give me some food?" she stuttered.

Kuro sighed "Sorry. I don't have food" The girl looked sad "But here." He handed her some money "You can buy some food with that."

The girl gained a toothy grin "Thanks onii-chan!" she ran off. Most likely to her home. Kuro frowned at her nickname. "Onii-chan huh?"he muttered.

"That was nice of you." Kagura commented.

"Any decent person would have done it."

"I don't see people waiting in a line to give her food." She retorted.

"…Let's just finish the mission." He spoke with determination as they asked where their employer was.

The two were outside of a small run down building. Kuro narrowed his eyes a bit. There was going to be trouble. He knew it "Talk to our employer and see what you can find. I'll stay outside and try to gather some info."

She nodded and did as he said.

While waiting for the girl to come back he couldn't help but notice the kids that were playing some kind of ball game. One of the smaller children kicked the ball a little harder than needed and sent it flying into the face of a passing adult. The man was muscular and had the air of a 'Grunt'.

"Hey brat! Watch where you're kicking that ball!" the man glared.

"S-sorry mister…" the kid mumbled and the man snarled.

"Oh so now you can't talk!? You need to be punished you little brat!"

The mother of the child ran and shielded her son "Please. Don't hurt him. I'll punish him myself!" she begged.

"OUT OF MY WAY, WENCH!"

The man slapped the woman across the cheek with the back of his hand. The force knocked her aside into a crowd of people.

"Mama!" the boy cried out.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The man grabbed the boy by his neck and easily lifted him of his feet. The child struggled to get free but the brute of a man's grip was too strong. The crowd started to rumble. It was clear that everyone wanted to do something but they were too afraid. The mother tried to get to her child but was restrained by two men.

The man was ready to snap the boy of the neck before he found himself flying into a nearby bench. The kid was falling but was caught by the collar of his shirt by Kuro who had his sheathed katana in his left hand pointed towards the man's body. Putting the boy down, he asked" You alright?" the boy just nodded and then ran to his mother after a quiet thank you. The mother bowed to Kuro and thanked him before running.

"Who the…hell are you?!" the man got up and growled at him, blood dripping down from the cut on his forehead.

"Who I am is of no concern to you." Kuro calmly spoke "What your concern should be is how many injuries would you like." He lightly touched his sword. The dark smoke started to emanate immediately.

"H-Hey boss." One of the men previously holding the mother stuttered "W-We should just get back at the guild."

"Why the fuck is that huh?" he snarled.

"T-T-The guy is Kuro Tenebris." The other said while backing away "There are stories about how he eats the hearts of his enemies and bathes in their remains!"

"Y-Yeah! He's a total demon! We can't beat him on our own. Let's just get back to the guild."

"…Fine! Know this Kuro Tenebris! The next time we fight will be your last!"

And with that the three were gone.

Kuro sighed and let go of his katana.

He stopped for a bit.

…

…

" **Sooo…You eat the hearts of your enemies?"**

He choked on his spit suddenly _"No! Of course I don't!"_

" **And you don't bathe in their remains?"**

" _Don't make me end our link."_

"Do you know what you just did, boy?!"

"I do believe I saved the life of a boy and his mother." He shrugged.

"You just made things worse for us! Now we'll never hear the end of this."

"Aww pipe down will ya, ya old fart?" a young woman's voice spoke from behind the crowd. The people there made way for her to pass. She had black hair that reached a bit past her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep orange color and she wore a simple outfit made out of a brown jacket with a medium black skirt and long black socks with brown sneakers.

She was smoking and adjusted her short white scarf before speaking "So you're Kuro Tenebris eh? Heard a lot about you." She said before circling him "Though I imagined you would be taller." She smirked before she patted him on the head.

" **AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I like this girl kid!"**

Kuro's right eyebrow twitched angrily "That's because I'm barely sixteen."

She smirked and puffed some smoke in his face "Coincidence. So am I." she continued to smirk before advancing forward. Her modest chest hit his head with a 'Boing' sound before he registered what happened.

He violently jumped back before stuttering "T-The hell!? I'm not that kind of guy!" he yelled and blushed slightly. He could hear Kira's cackle in the back of his mind. He shook his head.

"Relax." She took another drag out of her cigarette before continuing "Name's Kana Akashi and I guess you could say I'm this town's resident somewhat guardian."

"Somewhat guardian?"

"As in I somewhat protect this people. I'm the reason they are alive after all. If I hadn't negotiated the terms with those brutes these people wouldn't be alive. Ain't that right gramps?" she looked at the old man who simply nodded "So what brings you here?"

"I and another seek to eliminate the guild."

"Ah. So the girl in the building was with ya? I already talked with her." She shrugged before sighing "Look. You can't take that guild down with just two members-" she put her hand up to stop him "-you could take them out if _we_ weren't here. But we are. So as soon as you attack the guild building they'll swarm us here."

"So in other words we need to split up." Kagura spoke as she approached suddenly "How do you think we should proceed Kuro-san?"

"We should wait a day or two. They'll most likely expect us to attack now."

Kagura nodded "So we wait and then strike when they least expect it."

"Well then!" Kana spoke while dropping the cigarette on the ground and stepping on it "Why don't we relax for a while?" she smiled before showing them to her house. It was by far the biggest and the better out of everyone's there.

Kuro narrowed his eyes at that. Why was she living better than everyone else?

"It's because the people thought it would be nice for me to live here." She shrugged.

…How did she…

"Read your thoughts?" she smirked "I'm a bit of a telepath."

"…"

"That's not a very nice thing to say!" she pouted at him before the three entered. The inside was cozy even it wasn't very expensive looking. Kuro shrugged. It's not like he was living in a better place than this.

"Sorry for the mess. I don't clean a lot of times." Kana grinned with her cigarette between her lips.

"No problem." Kagura shrugged "It is rather cozy." She complemented.

"Thanks."

"…" Kuro remained silent before noticing a photo on the wall. It was one of Kana and an older boy. The two were very much alike "Brother?" he asked as he glanced at her.

She sighed "Yeah…he's not around."

"Sorry." He muttered before stretching "Well. We should rest now Kagura-san." The younger girl nodded before Kana showed them their rooms. They weren't going to share one, thank God. He wasn't about to hear the end of it from Kira if that happened.

" **That hurts."**

He smirked before closing his eyes and going to sleep.

At the guild.

"Do you two have a place to stay for the time being?" Erza asked the two strangers. They never revealed their names. They weren't going to stay here long anyway…at least that's what they said.

"Yes. We already talked about that with a lady. She was really nice and let us stay for a night for free!"

Meanwhile, as Erza distracted the two siblings, the other members were whispering amongst each other.

"Do you guys really think he did it?"

"Of course not!"

"Pipe down flame brain. You want them to hear us?"

"Gray your clothes."

"Crap!"

"I don't think he did it. Why would he save us if he did that?"

"Mira does have a point. We'll just ask him when he comes back."

Close to morning.

Kuro woke up with a startle. He gripped his left arm and panted before the aching sensation stopped.

" **You okay kid?"**

" _Yeah…Just a bad dream."_ He could feel Kira nodding before getting up and going into the living room. The lights were off but he could see just fine. He saw Kana's form curled up into herself with her head resting on her knees sitting on the couch there.

"You okay?" he asked as he approached the fridge.

"Y-Yeah. Couldn't sleep though." She muttered as she quickly wiped her face of tears and looking away from him "Hey Kuro?"

"What is it?" he asked before preparing to make breakfast.

"Well first of all I didn't say you can use the kitchen."

"Can I use the kitchen?"

"Go ahead." She smirked before she looked down again "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"Don't give me that. I know you lost some people. It's how you carry yourself-"

"You're treading on thin ice here Kana." She continued as if he hasn't said anything.

"-So how do you do it? How do you continue to live?"

"…I don't know." He shrugged "I think about the bastard who did that and I see myself killing him. If not for me then so other people won't go through what I did."

"Ah…I see." She got silent after that "I sometimes wonder if I should have died with him." He slammed the pan he was making breakfast on the table.

"Don't ever say anything like that. You being alive? That's a gift your brother gave you. Cherish and nurture it." He glared "Some people would kill to have another chance. You feeling guilty is not only pathetic but also disgraceful to them!" he growled "Live your life to the fullest and never forget."

"Wow." She smirked "You give some pretty nice speeches." She teased but internally she thought _"Kuro…Thank you."_

"So your happiness is a mask?" he asked quickly changing the subject.

"Not…exactly. Sometimes my usual personality rises up but there are times when I'm pathetic and sad." She smirked "Kinda like a few minutes ago." She patted him on the head as she got up "What, did I make you worry little one?"

"Stop that." He grunted and she thankfully stopped.

"So. What's your story?" she asked.

"My story?"

"Yeah." She shrugged and got a cigarette "Was just wondering how'd you ended up in a guild. You don't look the type of a guild mage."

"That is correct. I joined to get stronger…though how things are going I cannot do that." He sighed "They are idiots and morons…"

"But…"

"But I…somewhat enjoy their pestering."

"How?"

"I do not know." He sighed "In any case. You should go wake Kagura-san up. I will go take a shower and then we can eat." She nodded and went to do just that.

Unbeknownst to them, Kagura was already awake and listening to them.

" _Live your life to the fullest and never forget huh?"_

An hour passed and the three ate.

"Shall we attack today?"

"Yes. I shall attack their base while you defend. Is that alright with you?" she nodded before he followed. He got up and stretched before leaving "Be prepared." And thus he vanished into thin air.

She got up and exited the building before readying herself.

"So when do you think that brat will start causing a ruckus?"

"How the hell should I know you chicken brain?! Whenever the fuck he does that he's dead!"

The doors to the castle like building exploded, flying into the wall next to them.

"Knock, knock." Kuro smirked as the dust settled "Time for a little extermination." His smirk turned feral before he dashed forward.

In the basement of the building.

"You know what our mission is right?"

"Of course." A young man scoffed "Do you take me for a fool? Just remember your part of the deal. After I do this, my sister goes."

"Of course, Laminas-san."

Back in the main hall.

Dodge.

Right.

Left.

Strike.

Slash.

Cut.

Break.

" **Kill~"**

" _Ye-no."_

" **Damn. Worth a shot."**

As Kuro was handling the much greater number of foes he expected he couldn't help but let his mind drift away as he fought. He briefly wondered what the members of Fairy Tail were doing before crushing that thought with no mercy. He didn't need them…did he?

He scowled before gathering magic in his left hand. He smirked before impaling his sheath in the ground and expelling the black colored magic as shadowy smoke. He turned around as his enemies fell unconscious due to the smoke. He dusted himself before he stopped.

His thoughts were interrupted by slow clapping "Bravo. Bravo!" a voice said from above him "Nice job, taking out those morons. But let's see how you do against someone half decent!" Kuro widened his eyes as the man summoned black flames from his hands. The man appeared to be his age. He had long black hair and brown eyes. His attire was made from simple black jeans, a vest and a hoodie.

"I'm Shinji Nikko. A true Fire God Slayer." he boasted "But you can call me your killer!" he yelled before charging towards Kuro. Kira's host simply leaned towards the right before kicking the man into a wall.

"I'd rather call you weakling." He smirked as he patted his leg, taking out the fire before it could do anything.

"Hmm. You are strong. What is your name?" Shinji said as he got up and dusting himself off.

"…Kuro Tenebris."

"Well then Kuro-san…Let's have some fun!" he yelled and his form was enveloped in black flames before charging once again.

"Bring it on!" he smirked before drawing his blade.

Kagura sighed as she cut down another charging fool. They were complete idiots. Not one of them proved any real challenge.

She kicked one away before all of her senses, her instincts screamed at her to dodge. She did and rolled out of the way of a descending sword.

"Hmm. Impressive. Normally people just freeze up when they feel that much killing intent." A voice spoke casually and smoothly.

"…" she remained silent and prepared herself. The man in front of her was no pushover. She could tell. One wrong move and she would be dead. She frowned before parrying a blow from the man's own katana.

Everything was silent except for the sounds of clashing blades or in her case sheathe. The man smirked suddenly before kicking her in the ribs and slashing at her abdomen. She thankfully dodged but lost balance and fell down.

The man took this opportunity and stabbed at her. She rolled out of the way before tripping him.

He jumped out of the way before roundhouse kicking her away. He smirked before cracking his neck and motioning for her to 'come on'.

She scowled before calming herself down. Anger would lead to mistakes. She narrowed her eyes and charged forward once more.

The two black haired teens met in a clash. A massive explosion destroyed the castle.

"Fire God's Bellow!" Shinji yelled and expelled a massive amount of black flames towards Kuro.

The swordsman smirked and cut the fire in half with a single swing before twirling his katana around and pointing it at Shinji "That all you got?" he mocked.

"Oh I got more!" Shinji grunted and punched the ground "Let the fires of heaven purify you! Fire God's Apocalypse!" and with that yell, giant pillars of flames burst out of the ground. Kuro cursed and dodged out of the way.

" **His magic is impressive."**

" _Let's admire the way he can kill me later shall we?"_

He jumped away from a pillar before Shinji suddenly appeared before him and slammed him into the ground "You're gonna burn in my holy flames!" he smirked before fire began crawling down to his hand. Kuro grunted and before the flames could reach his head, kicked the other boy into the air.

He winced while in the air. Kuro grunted once again before jumping after him. He appeared behind him "You should feel honored. Not many people make me use this." He said before grabbing Shinji and throwing him into the ground before going after him. "Devil's Breakthrough!" He spun around and kicked the other boy in the abdomen as he landed. He spun on his hands before jumping and punching him with his left hand, knocking the boy unconscious.

He panted and dusted himself off. He began making his way to the village after that. He had a bad feeling about this…

"Where do you think we're going?!" Shinji yelled suddenly as a black pillar of flames was around him. His hair fluttered wildly and his form seemed to be made out of flames "We're not done yet!" he said and dashed forward.

* * *

"Yes that's it, woman! Fight more! Make me feel alive!" the boy grinned ferally as he blocked strikes from Kagura's weapon. His grin turned into a sadistic smirk before head butting the girl. She lost her footing before he tackled her to the ground. He was about to plunge his blade in her heart before he was hit on the head by a rock.

He turned his head to the right to see Kana there with a glare. He growled and prepared to kill her but Kagura knocked him away with her sword. She got up and panted "Thank you."

"Anytime!" Kana spoke before running back.

"Enough, woman." The boy growled as he got up "I will pass judgement on you." He set into a stance with his sword by his side "Blade of the Betrayed- Judgement Cut." He yelled and slashed once. He slowly sheathed his sword.

* * *

"Fire God's Supper!" Shinji yelled as he encased Kuro in black flames. The swordsman had to stop himself from screaming in pain. He tried to escape and Shinji chuckled "Don't even try. Nothing can escape these flames. Not even your ashes." He laughed cruelly.

"Tch." Kuro scowled before smirking.

Shinji continued to laugh before a katana burst out of his chest. He gasped before his flames disappeared and he turned back to his normal form. He fell down on his front side. He barely had enough strength to ask "How?"

"You should make sure your enemy is actually caught in the attack." Kuro shrugged "At the last moment I flashed backwards and pretended to be hit." He sheathed his sword "You should get that wound checked out by the way." He straightened the collar of his coat before running towards the village.

* * *

She blinked.

But it was enough.

The moment he sheathed his sword, thousands of…wounds appeared around her. He smirked before lightly tapping the handle of his sword with his pinky finger. The wounds in the space opened and cut her all around.

She couldn't even scream in pain before she collapsed.

Kagura fought with everything she had.

She was one of the best swordswomen in the whole country and that wasn't bragging, that was fact.

So why was she so weak right now?

She collapsed on the ground, dozens of cuts on her body and she simply stared at the man as he approached Kana.

"I'm sorry. It's not that I want to kill you…I need to kill you. You understand right?"

"I understand that you weren't a complete asshole before you and your sister got kidnapped."

"I've been called worse before." He slashed.

Kana closed her eyes. This was it.

She was going to die.

Heh.

All she wanted in life was to meet someone and have a life with that someone.

Now that she thought about it her standards were rather…unique.

She didn't want any ordinary man.

No.

She wanted her knight in shining armor.

Her Prince Charming.

But alas she couldn't have it.

" _Live your life to the fullest and never forget him."_

She opened her eyes to see the silhouette of a man above her. She looked at his clothes before looking up to him.

"K-Kuro?" she said in wonder.

"Tch. Making me save your sorry ass." He muttered "You should get out of here Kana. You'd just get in the way."

"Hey! I wouldn't get in the way!"

"Kana!"

"…Fine. But you owe me for this." She grunted and ran with a smile on her face _"That's two times I owe you Kuro."_ She neared the hurt Kagura and helped her on her feet "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just some minor wounds. I need to…help him." She struggled and almost fell.

"You need to rest. He can handle himself." She smiled.

* * *

"Who are you?"

"You first."

"…Fukushu Laminas."

"Kuro Tenebris. I would shake hands but I don't do that with my enemies."

"Heh. Neither do I. Why do you help these people?"

"Because no one else will." He narrowed his eyes.

" **Kid…This guy is like you."**

" _Elaborate maybe?"_

" **There's…something…someone inside him. Like me but more…I can hear…thousands. You gotta be careful kid. I can't heal you now. That thing inside him is granting him more power than normal."**

" _Dully noted."_ He scowled before jumping away and setting into a stance. The other boy followed with a feral smirk.

"We're both exhausted Tenebris. So how about we end this in one attack eh?" he prepared to draw his katana as black and green smoke rose from the blade and all around him.

"Agreed." He nodded before doing the same as Laminas.

" **That stance…"** Kira muttered but no one heard him.

He grabbed the handle of his sword as the usual black and red tendrils of darkness surrounded him. He smirked before preparing to run.

Laminas opened his mouth to speak and multiple voices talked "B _l_ **a** d _ **e**_ o _f_ t _h_ **e** B **e** t _ **r**_ _a_ y _e_ **d** : F _ **i**_ **n** a _ **l**_ J **u** _d_ _ **g**_ _e_!" he smirked as the smoke enveloped him completely. It took the form of countless demonic faces grinning evilly.

Kuro growled before smirking "Muramasa Sword Technique: **Drive!** " he roared as a single demonic skull appeared and dashed forward. Laminas followed him.

Their bodies became blurs.

Both black but different.

One green.

One red.

" _Fukushu Laminas huh? For some reason I agreed to end this in one strike. He seems to have some honor so I guess that's why. I don't know why but I don't want to lose to him. Normally I couldn't care less about winning or losing as long as it was fair but here I got this burning desire. Doesn't matter. As long as I and Kira fight together…"_

" _Kuro Tenebris. I heard stories about you. One of the strongest mages in the world that even the council tried to get a contract with: you could have become a wizard saint but you refused. Now it doesn't matter. I'm sorry but my sister is in danger. You're in my way so I have to get through you! I don't care how strong you are! As long as we fight together…"_

" _ **It's been a while Horitsu…too bad we couldn't talk of old times. Unfortunately for you Kuro is far stronger than your host. As long as he and I are in perfect sync…"**_

" _ **Kira…We finally meet again. Unlike the last time we fought you are one, we are many. That is why…"**_

Their blades met in an explosion of air and magic power.

Kuro and Laminas glared at one another while struggling to overpower the other. Above them, the smoke the two emanated took the form of two beings. Kira and a green spectral being with black armor. Its skin was transparent making it easy to see the countless broken bones. Weirdly enough, the being had five swords stabbed into its chest.

" _ **We**_ _won't_ _ **lose!"**_

All four of them roared before Kuro pushed harder. He smirked before cutting through Laminas' sword and slashing him on the abdomen. Kuro winced before he continued his attack, slicing the earth before and turning around and sheathing his sword slowly.

"Heh…You really are strong…" Laminas muttered before he collapsed.

"That…was a good fight…" Kuro panted before he collapsed as well.

A day later.

Kuro woke up to the sound of the door closing. He grunted before opening his eyes…eye. His right eye wouldn't open no matter what he did.

" _Kira?"_

"… **Sorry kid…Couldn't heal it."**

He got up on the soft bed and yawned "Any reason why you came here Kana?" he asked as he looked at her.

She blushed and hid her hands behind her back "Is it wrong if I came here to see if you're alright?" she asked.

"I am fine. Now please get out so I can change."

"Okay." She sighed "Hey Kuro…"

"What is it?" he groaned as he got out of the bed. He was hugged from behind by the taller girl.

"Thank you…" she said with a smile on her face before leaving "Shorty!" she laughed as she said that.

His right eyebrow twitched before chuckling and gearing up. He exited soon enough with a black patch over his right eye. There was a scar under the patch.

"Kuro-san. I see you are fine."

"Yes. Not a lot of things can mortally injure me." He said as he sat down at the table there "Is the town any better?"

"Yes. Would you like to see it?"

"No. I need to get back to Fairy Tail." She nodded "Where did that boy end up?"

"A girl came and picked him up before vanishing." She said "I couldn't follow her. I was too injured…I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He sighed.

* * *

He was soon back in Fairy Tail. The stars were covered up by heavy rain clouds. He didn't mind that. He always felt refreshed in the rain. Too bad it couldn't wash everything away.

He opened the doors to the guild expecting the usual brawl. Instead of that, everyone watched him intentily. He blinked before Erza walked up to him.

"What is it?"

"You have some explaining to do Kuro? When were you going to tell us about Kira?"

He widened his eyes slightly.

" **How'd she know?!"**

He simply scowled "You have no right to ask about that Scarlet." He turned around to walk away. Erza put her hand on his shoulder to stop him "Get your hand off of me." He said while glaring.

"Not until you explain who you really are!" she demanded before Kuro kicked her flying into the request board. If everyone wouldn't have been furious they would have winced at the sound of Erza's armor and ribs breaking. He scoffed before leaving.

"Get back here!" Natsu yelled before someone beat him to the point. The master now in his titan form stopped Kuro from leaving by blocking his exit with his hand.

" **You're not going anywhere Kuro! I was about to overlook anything about your past deeds but attacking a member of the guild is unacceptable!** " he roared.

Kuro looked up at the massive form of the master with a heavy frown. He couldn't beat him. Not now at least. He scowled before sighing "Look. I can't tell you about Kira. You'll just have to trust me."

"How can we trust you, when you don't trust us?"

"Hey I trust him." Mira said through the crowd. Everyone looked at her "What? The guy saved Lisanna, Elfman and I. It's the least I could do." She shrugged.

He smiled slightly before scowling and dodging to the left. He winced as the shot grazed his shoulder.

Everything stopped.

"Oh crap. I missed." The young girl whom they housed for these days said from the second floor. In her hand was a revolver with smoke coming out of the barrel of the gun.

"What is the meaning of this?" Erza asked with a glare as she got up.

"Oh man you guys really are stupid." She laughed "That guy is fucking innocent!" she scowled as she pointed her gun at him again "He's got something that belongs to Master! And we're gonna take it back."

"…" Kuro scowled while cracking his neck.

"I'll ask just once Tenebris. Hand over Kira now and maybe we'll work out on a deal!" she offered.

"You won't like my terms." He said before drawing his sword. The usual darkness appeared before he smirked. His happiness was short lived as the brother of the young girl came in and slashed at Kuro with his claymore. He fortunately blocked but was sent outside in the rain.

"Nice work moron! Now we have to fight in the rain! I was just done with my hair too!"

"Sorry lil'sis. You know how excited I can be." He grinned before running outside.

"You're probably wondering why you people can't move right now." The young girl said suddenly "Well that's because our bodies emit demonic pheromones. They attract potential mates but also paralyze lesser beings." She looked at Mirajane's she-devil form "And only true demons can ignore them." She smirked.

Natsu growled as steam emanated from his form.

Kuro grunted as he used his sword as leverage. He just wanted to come back and go to his house so he could rest a bit. But no! These two just had to show up!

"You should know, Kuro-san, that I respect you." The boy said as he grinned "I heard that you're supposed to be super strong. Are you going to make me go all out?" he tilted his head before charging forward. Kuro scoffed and parried the obvious blow.

"Gah!" he yelled as he was cut on the abdomen. If he hadn't dodged at the last second…

" _What the hell was that?"_

" **I got no clue kid."**

"So the stories are true. You _are_ really fast. Good jump by the way. If you don't mind coming off as a fraidy cat. What're you scared me?" the boy smiled as he approached Kuro. He got on guard "You know that didn't work the first time. Why would it work the second?" he blinked and Kuro was gone.

"Keep your head in the fight." Kuro muttered as he thrust his sword at the boy's back. The claymore blocked it but it did send the boy crashing into a store.

" **Kid. I think I got it."**

" _All ears here."_

" **The normal reflex time of the average sword user is around 0.9. Your reflexes are at the 0.1 mark. But when I look at this guy and analyze him. Well…his reflexes are around 0.05. Maybe less."**

" _So when I attack, he can make two or more attacks in that time…"_

" **This will be a tough fight kid."**

" _This is a battle of attrition here. I'll have to end this fast."_

"Ahahahahaha!" the boy laughed as he exited the shop. The small building crashed down "You actually managed to hit something! That's good. How much are you going to fight now Kuro-san?" and with that he charged forward. Kuro followed. The two became blurs but it was clear who had the upper hand.

The boy roared as he kicked Kuro into a wall after a well-timed parry. He smirked and dashed towards Kuro's body before impaling him on the wall there. Kuro struggled to free himself…

"This is a shame Kuro-san. I thought you would be stronger than this." Lightning struck "But you are weaker than the last guy I killed. He managed to at least wound me." He smirked "But you, you can't even cut me and now, you'll bleed to death in the mud." He smirked before pulling out his sword and walking away.

Kuro scowled as he lay in the mud. The rain fell harshly but he didn't care. His whole body hurt. Was he going to die? Was Fairy Tail going to survive? Was he not going to fulfill his ambition?

No…

He _was_ going to kill that bastard!

He was going to avenger her!

He was going to live!

With that thought he picked himself up and staggered before using his katana as leverage. He grunted as the wound closed painfully with steam rising from it.

The boy stopped as he heard Kuro getting up.

"How the hell?" he asked as he saw the black haired boy panting with a massive amount of black smoke rising up from his form "How are you alive? You had no pulse back then!" he widened his eyes as he jumped backwards. His chest now had a long single cut. Blood dripped slowly from his chest and he looked downwards.

" _I can cut him…"_ Kuro thought _"If I can cut him…"_

" **Then you can beat him!"**

"What's this?" the boy grinned sadistically "You're thinking you can beat me!" he declared while the wound healed on his own.

Kuro narrowed his eyes before doing a downwards slash. The boy grimaced but managed to hold Kuro's sword. He coughed before jumping back only to have to block again. He was successful but blood still erupted from his shoulder.

" _He's gotten faster!"_ the boy thought as Kuro kept slashing at him. He was able to block most strikes but Kuro would occasionally sneak in a slash. He jumped over the boy and cut his back, sending him crashing into the dirt.

"Sorry about this." Kuro sighed as the rain fell even harder "But I had to end this quick." He began walking away.

The boy laughed crazily as he got up. The cloak that hid his features now rags, allowed Kuro to see his face. He had short brown hair with golden eyes and two horns sprouting from the side of his head and pointing to the sides.

" **A half breed."**

Kuro nodded silently before reading himself.

"End this quick?" he laughed at that and got up "Why would you do this when we're starting to have so much FUN!?" he screamed and dashed forward. Kuro blocked his slash "How did you come back from the dead huh?" he yelled and slashed once more. The black haired teen rolled and slashed the boy's abdomen. He didn't even flinch "And how come you're so much stronger all of a sudden?" Kuro jumped backwards only for the boy to slam him into a wall by his head.

"This battle opened the door to so many questions! But for now let's just have some fun with this fight!" he prepared to cut Kuro's head off before he was kicked away. Kuro fell down and panted. He was exhausted…

The boy chuckled before he impaled his claymore into the ground and roaring. Golden energy surrounded him, gaining the form of a humanoid skull.

Kuro realized what the boy wanted to do and followed suit. He sheathed his katana and drew on its magic. Black smoke surrounded him, gaining the form of a demonic skull grinning with evil intent.

"To answer your question, I'm not fighting alone like you are. I'm borrowing the power of Kira to do battle with you. As long as he and I fight together, there's no way we can lose to you."

"Ha! Your approach is that of a weakling. Talking about power while banding together with others, only a weakling would say that." The boy smirked "Well that's not my approach." He picked up his claymore and set ready to charge "Weaklings…DIE!" he yelled as the energy-made skull grinned sadistically and he charged forward.

Kuro scowled and the skull above him continued to grin evilly before dashing forward. He roared and slashed along with the man.

As the two swordsmen clashed blades, the two skulls fought for dominance before the demonic skull bit into the other skull and destroyed it completely.

A massive explosion rocked the place, clearing any rain falling down there before it resumed shortly after.

The dust from the explosion settled. Any light was covered up by the dull, grey rainclouds. You could barely see in front of you.

Lightning flashed.

The victor smirked before a hand burst out of his back. The red eyes gleamed in the darkness as lightning flashed again and the body fell down.

* * *

"Ahh. Finally. Did you kill him?" the girl asked as he entered.

"Yes."

She stopped what she was doing and turned around.

Kuro stood there soaking wet with blood on his…well everything. He had a smirk on his face as she went from shock to anger and then to fear. His un-bandaged left arm held his sword.

She just stood there before shooting once. Kuro cut the bullet in half.

She smirked as Kuro fell down.

The halves of the bullet changed trajectory and hit both of his legs.

"Wow. You must be stupider than I thought. Still. You are strong. Never thought I'd see that moron get killed by anyone." She mussed before preparing to shoot him in the head "Say goodbye Tenebris." She smirked as she prepared to pull the trigger.

She never expected to get sent flying into the wall by a flaming fist.

"N-Natsu?" Kuro coughed.

"Kuro's a member of Fairy Tail!" The pink haired boy yelled while standing protectively over Kuro "You wanna get to him, you gotta go through me!" he yelled and was engulfed in fire.

Suddenly everyone was able to move. They fell down and panted.

" _What the?! He…He couldn't be…"_ the girl thought afraid _"No…He burned the pheromones out of the air with his fire…yeah that had to be it!"_ the girl scowled before making a breakthrough to the exit. She was stopped by members of the guild.

She smirked and jumped away before grabbing Happy from mid-air "Now…Unless you want me to kill the little fleabag you'll either let me go or you'll kill Tenebris. You're choice." The members blocking the exit sighed and made way for her "Good choice." She said before jumping into the cold dark night and throwing Happy back to them.

"Who were they?"

"…"Kuro coughed before vomiting blood.

"Kuro!" someone yelled but he didn't recognize who before he fainted.

"So what they said was a lie…" Erza looked down at that. She jumped to conclusions and pressed Kuro on. No wonder he broke her armor…and ribs "I was a fool for believing them! When he wakes up I shall let him hit me once more!" she declared.

"I can do that for ya Tin-can." Mira grinned "But I think he already hit you enough for a crap load of mistakes. He did break you armor after all, not to mention your ribs."

"Yes."

"Porlyusica will be here any moment." Makarov informed them. He couldn't help but feel hopeless. One of his children injured one other and now one of them is not waking up. Dammit he should have seen it sooner!

"Gah!" Kuro suddenly woke up with a startle. He grinned before looking at everyone "So this is how it's like to have a body. Phew. I forgot." He grinned again and looked at his…Erza blushed at that.

"What are you talking about?" Mira asked "And why the hell are you smiling so damn much."

"Well. I ought to introduce myself first." He got up while ignoring his bleeding legs and bowed "My name…Is Kira!" he yelled "Pleasure to meet you sexy ladies. Not so pleasurable to meet the others." He winked.

The women there didn't know if they should blush or be crept out. They chose the latter.

"Wait…Kira? So that means that what they said was true?!"

"Not…exactly. _I_ did kill a lot of people and destroyed a ton of villages. But Kuro never did inherit my blood thirst." He shrugged before leaning on a pillar.

"You talk as if you're not the same person." Makarov narrowed his eyes.

"Well of course we're not!" he laughed before patting the old man on the head "You see shorty, Kuro and I are bonded. The sword used to be my prison but now his left arm is." He lifted his left arm to show them.

"Why are you telling us this?" Erza asked.

"The kid wanted you guys to know ASAP so he let me take over." He waved his hand dismissively while eying Natsu…There was something familiar now that he looked at him. He widened his eyes "Are you Igneel's kid?" he asked.

"Igneel?! You know him!? Where is he?!" Natsu grabbed Kira by the collar of his shirt.

"Back off pinkie, I got no idea where the lizard is. Just wondered if you knew where he is so we could fight like old times." He sighed contentedly before he twitched "Oh! Looks like the kid is ready to wake up." He mussed out loud "Cya around Fairies!" he waved before kneeling over. He got up and scowled.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked.

"…How did you end up with him in your arm?"

"It's a long story." He said.

"We have time." Makarov narrowed his eyes.

Kuro followed.

It looked like a fight was about to break out before Kuro sighed "Fine. I'll tell you." And with that they sat down and Kuro told them everything.


	4. Years Later

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Kuro Tenebris.**

* * *

Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into years.

The year x784 came.

A black haired young man walked alone towards the city known as Magnolia. He stopped as he saw the sign with the writing 'Fairy Tail'. He smirked before passing by it and continuing in silence.

It wasn't long after he reached the busy streets that people stared at him. Kuro was somewhat of a celebrity after a…bet gone wrong with Cana. Damn that woman could hold her liquor. In his drunken state, Kira took over and told everyone that he was 'seeking a worthy wife and to have a family.' Of course the information leaked and Sorcerer Weekly found out and published it. The next time he saw this 'Jason' guy he was going to tear him a new one.

But enough of the past. Now he was back in Magnolia, back to Fairy Tail. He couldn't help but smile. This guild really was something else.

" _Kuro's a member of Fairy Tail! You wanna get to him, you gotta go through me!"_

That boy was an idiot. Kuro never cared for attachments much. Kira was all he needed really. But that stupid pink haired kid didn't give up and now he found himself actually enjoying himself at the guild. Whenever he was on a quest he always thought of home, which now was Fairy Tail.

He shook his head before thinking about Kira. He was strangely quiet.

" _Kira. Everything alright?"_

" **Huh? Y-Yeah. All fine kid! What's the matter?"**

" _You've been really quiet for the way back."_

" **I was just thinking about stuff kid."**

Kuro had to stop himself from chuckling as a member-Loke- showed up, saw him and freaked out before proceeding to run back to the guild.

* * *

The doors opened with a crash.

"What's wrong Loke?"

"He…He's back. Kuro's back!" he yelled.

"Kuro's back?" Natsu asked "Hell yeah! I owe him a beating!"

"More like he owes you one if you fight him." Gray snickered.

"What'd you say?!" The two fought once more. Erza didn't try to stop them now. She was enjoying her strawberry cake too much.

"Who's Kuro?" Lucy asked Mira.

"Oh right. I forgot you probably don't know him. Think of him like a male Erza." She smiled "Though he's stricter with himself than with others if that makes any sense."

"Still doesn't ring a bell." Lucy shrugged.

"Do you have a Sorcerer Weekly magazine with you?"

"Of course." She said and took it out of her bag.

Mira skimmed through the pages before getting to the desired photo. She and he were asked to do a photo together. Kuro initially refused but even he's no match for the puppy dog eyes magic. Having Lisanna transform into the cutest dog that she saw helped too.

" _This_ is Kuro?!" Lucy yelled "From what everyone says he's like a total demon!" she declared. The scowling young man in the photograph was handsome. He wore a black tuxedo and had his right arm linked with Mira. She wore her usual red dress and was grinning ear to ear. His lone eye was glaring at the camera.

"What happened to his eye?"

"He never told us." She shrugged.

"Wait…"she stopped suddenly. She knew that man "Is he Kuro Tenebris?!"

"Yep." Mira smiled.

Lucy…made a sound that was alike to a squeal and grinned "You mean that Kuro Tenebris, the number one bachelor of Sorcerer Weekly is in Fairy Tail?!"

"Never heard that one." Mira laughed.

"Wasn't he the one to say that he was looking for a 'worthy wife'?"

Mira laughed once more at that.

He smiled before opening the doors. Gray immediately flew at him. He leaned to the right before grabbing him by the only article of clothing on his person and throwing him back into the guild.

"I'm back." He said and the brawl stopped.

"Kuro!" Natsu yelled before charging at him. Kuro sighed and dodged the punch before grabbing Natsu in a head lock "Okay, okay! I give!" he yelled in pain before Kuro let him go. Natsu rubbed his neck before grinning "You're still strong Kuro!"

"What do you take me for Natsu?" he raised an eyebrow before chuckling

"Are you alright Kuro? Did the mission prove any challenge?" Makarov asked.

"No. The fool terrorizing the city was just that, a fool with no pride or honor. I made short work of him though I unfortunately destroyed a cabbage merchant's store. I have already paid for it."

"I see…Well best not to think about that now!" The short master smiled. He could overlook most things Kuro did. He never destroyed nearly as much as everyone else. The money he saved with Kuro here…He grinned greedily.

The black haired man made his way over to Mira. He quite liked the girl. She was one of the few who trusted him unconditionally even in the beginning.

" **You liiiiiike her."** Kira teased.

" _Nice to see you back to your usual ways."_

"Hello Kuro." She smiled. Over the years she changed…a lot. Her sister's almost death changed her greatly. She couldn't even summon up her magic now so she became the barmaid at the guild. Her personality changed as well. She was incredibly kind now and selfless "Still looking for a girlfriend?" she teased with a grin on his face.

"No." he deadpanned. He knew what she was up to. She always tried to tease him but it never worked…some of the times.

"Then you found one already?" she smirked.

"…"

" **She got you there kid."**

"…" his right eyebrow twitched "How's the score now?" he asked.

"I think it's around 490 for me and 347 for you." She giggled.

"Aha. When you reach five hundred I might take you out on a date."

She smiled at that.

He turned around only to see a smiling blonde girl "And you are?" he asked.

"My Lucy is name!" she said.

He raised an eyebrow at that.

The girl fell to her knees and cried crocodile tears _"Way to go Lucy! The only guy who seems normal around here and you totally blew it!"_ she yelled in her head.

He chuckled "Well that's a first. No one introduced themselves that way." He smirked as he began drinking. Water. He drank water. He wasn't going to drink anything else after what Kira said.

" **Aww. Come on. You know you want to hook up with someone!"**

He shook his head "So can you tell me what your name is?"

"Lucy." She said.

"Nice to meet you. Hope you won't try to…jump my bones like every other fan girl." He chuckled.

She laughed along with him.

The young man suddenly stopped and sighed.

"What's wrong Kuro?" Mira asked as she cleaned the bar.

"Nothing." He muttered.

"Did something happen on the mission?" Cana asked suddenly as she sat next to them. She and Kuro were friends. Cana saw to herself that he would become her drinking buddy. She succeeded one time but it was enough for Kuro. Still, she never gave up. In fact, she swiped Kuro's drink with hers. There was no way he could have seen it!

"Something along those lines." He grunted before grabbing his drink. Cana groaned. How did he see it? He smirked "I'm a swordsman Cana. I have better perception than others."

"You have one eye." She deadpanned.

"…Touché." He chuckled "Anyway. The guy I had to take down was a pure psycho." He sighed.

Flashback.

 _The bastard was talented I'll give him that. He knew how to wield his weapons incredibly well. He was fast, strong and cunning. Amazing I got out of that without major injuries._

 _He claimed he was an…artist. Heh. He was just a murderer. He did kill beautifully though so I guess you can credit him for that._

" _Who the hell are you? Why kill so many innocent lives?!" I yelled at him from across the street. He had the advantage, his magnum and sniper rifle were incredibly powerful and he used them accordingly. I couldn't get close to him without getting killed._

" _In carnage, I bloom…like a flower in the dawn." The bastard had a smooth voice but it was distorted somehow. I could tell he was smiling behind that mask of his before he spoke once more "I will bring them an opera of death." He readied his sniper rifle and shot once at me._

 _I dodged and advanced before he kept talking "You will be poetry! You will be beautiful!" I shut him up though as I managed to get a good hit in and sent him flying into a nearby building._

 _It didn't take long before the psycho started talking again "Your story is revenge with swords_ _ **and**_ _demons. How droll." He was laughing. He was actually laughing during the fight. He had no honor, no respect for his opponent. It made my blood boil actually._

 _I made my way to him, avoiding his shots before I struck. He parried my katana with his magnum before shooting once. I dodged by leaning backwards and back flipping away. He reloaded quickly before he pointed at me again._

" _One!" he yelled and shot. I dodged to the left._

" _Two!" the shot grazed my left leg._

" _Three!" my left shoulder almost got blown off._

" _FOUR!" I managed to dodge at the last second. If I hadn't dodged that, my head would have been blown off._

" _How lovely!" he yelled in ecstasy before jumping away "Smile~" he sang creepily "Everyone is watching."_ _He set into a stance and took out his sniper rifle again before pointing it at me "Prepare…for your finale." And with that he fired. I smirked before drawing Muramasa and cutting his bullets in half, one at a time._

 _Wasn't long before I managed to get to him again. He blocked again and fired._

 _*Click*_

 _I smirked and he panicked slightly before I swung my handle at him, knocking him unconscious. I took his magnum and took off his mask. The bastard was one of the people with a rock solid alibi. He killed his own wife to get that alibi. After all, who would kill their own family? That almost drove me to kill him but the rune knights showed up._

Flashback end.

"And the rest is history."He sighed again "I can't believe I'm getting surprised by how some people act." He grunted before shaking his head "Anyway, enough about depressing things. What happened around the guild?" he asked.

"Not much. After Lucy joined, she, Erza, Natsu and Gray fought Lullaby."

"The flute demon?" he asked and Lucy nodded "Impressive. What magic do you use?"

"I use celestial keys." She said and showed him her zodiac keys.

"Hmm. Impressive." He praised and she blushed "How many can you summon at once?" he asked.

"Only one. My magic power is not that great."

"Do not feel bad." He waved his hand "Train at your own pace and you'll eventually reach great heights."

She smiled.

"Anyway. Anything else happen while I was on the mission?"

"Not really. The only other thing was Macao getting stuck at Mt. Hakobe."

"Ohh?" Kuro raised an eyebrow "Tell me about it." He smirked before his face fell. His right ear twitched and dove on Mira "Get down!" he yelled before a shot rang through, silencing everyone.

"Oww." Mira groaned while rubbing the back of her head. Kuro was on top of her "T-Thank you Kuro-" she stopped as she felt blood on her chest. Kuro…wasn't moving. Lucy screamed in fright before a cold voice spoke from the doorway.

"Oooo! He actually dove to save you eh?" the voice was female but the figure was half male "Turns out he was a knight in shining armor!" she…he…it laughed "Makes me wet just thinking I killed a decent guy!" the woman with a man's figure felt herself up with a blush on her face. Fairy Tail soon glared at her.

"Who are you?" Makarov asked calmly which shocked Lucy. A member just got killed and he wasn't angry?

"Not important shorty." The figure grinned sadistically while licking her finger "Just wanted to deliver a message. Tell Kuro that my master took an interest in him when he wakes up. Tell him not to disappoint him. My master will be watching…" the figure vanished before Natsu could hit her with his fire.

"Why isn't everyone concerned with Kuro!?"

"Kuro's not going to die that easily!" Natsu grinned "I saw him go through much worse."

"Got to agree with flame brain here." Gray smirked "I went on a mission with him. He got his arm sliced off. He just beat the guy who cut it off and attached it back to his body."

"And there was that one time when he got impaled." Lisanna spoke with a shudder "He walked it off a few minutes after."

"Let's not forget when he pushed Natsu out of the way of a wyvern and got eaten instead." Erza chuckled.

"Hey I said I was sorry." Natsu pouted.

Mira smiled softly as the wound on his head closed up and the bullet was spit out. After an injury like that he should be resting for quite some time.

" _Given that Kira is in me, my regeneration is incredibly advanced. I can regenerate everything in a matter of minutes given I have the body parts there. If not, a week or so would give me enough time. The only problem is if my left hand gets cut off. Shooting me in the head could be a problem but that never happened to me. Demonic and holy items also injure me."_

She frowned suddenly. What if it had severe consequences? She sighed. Best not to think about it.

Makarov frowned deeply. Who was that figure? Who was her master?

He sighed.

He couldn't do anything.

The council was basically breathing down his neck. The council never approved of Kuro's ways. They wanted to blame Fairy Tail for destruction but he barely did any collateral damage!

He looked at the unconscious black haired man. He had a feeling that Kuro would get to the bottom of this. Maybe the demon that Kuro was looking for was that figure's master…

That night.

Lucy got home with a heavy sigh. One of her comrades almost died before her eyes so she was a little stressed out.

"Hey Luce!" Natsu yelled with a grin on his face.

"GET OUTTA HERE!" she yelled and prepared to kick him out of her home.

"Hey relax." He said and put his hands up "I just wanted to ask you if you want to go on a job with us." He motioned to him and Happy.

"You want to go on a job…after what happened to Kuro?!"

"Well yeah. It's the perfect opportunity! I can get some extra training while he's recovering. And when he wakes up, I can beat him!" he grinned.

"…Fine. What job?" she asked.

"It's an S-class job!"

"AN S-CLASS?!"

"Aye! I got it while everyone was paying attention to Kuro."

"You stole it!?"

"More like borrowed it." Natsu grinned as he helped his friend out.

The next morning.

"WHAT?!" Makarov roared "THEY STOLE THAT JOB?!"

"We can't be really sure it's them." Mira said with a worried look.

"This is Natsu we're talking about Mira."

"…I stand corrected." She sighed.

"Gray! Go and stop them. Their punishment will be _**that**_."

"Haha." Gray laughed "Can't wait for flame brain to go through _**that**_." He smirked and went outside.

"Did anyone see them get the request?" Lisanna asked.

"I did." Laxus spoke from upstairs.

"And why didn't you stop them?"

"How was I supposed to know that the cat will steal a request?" he asked with a smug face. Mira glared at him. He smirked "Now there's the old demon persona of yours." He vanished soon after. The white haired bar maid sighed and went back into the infirmary to check up on Kuro. Despite everything, everyone couldn't help but chuckle or outright laugh. It was so obvious that Mira and Kuro liked each other that it was painful. The two in question were the only ones who didn't notice.

A week passed and Kuro was yet to wake up.

"Hey Kuro." Mira said as she entered. They had to move him as Phantom Lord attacked their guild hall in the night "I hope you'll wake up soon." She said as she sat next to his bed "Master and the others aren't back yet from their counterattack on Phantom Lord. We really need someone to help us. Please, wake up Kuro." She said as she grabbed his hand "Please." A couple of tears ran down her cheeks.

He stirred and she smiled as he opened his eye. He groaned as he got up. Mira smiled and hugged him. He stiffened and awkwardly spoke "Uhm…Miss? Why are you hugging me? Where am I?" he thought for a bit after she let go "Actually more importantly…Who am I?" he asked and she gasped.

"You…You don't remember?"

"No…What were we close or something?" he chuckled "If so could you tell me my name?"

"It's Kuro…Kuro Tenebris."

"Kuro Tenebris." He tested the name before smiling "I like it. What's your name miss?"

"Mira. Do you remember me?"

"Name doesn't ring a bell." He shrugged before people burst into the guild hall. Mira looked up before she left. He looked around and saw a pile of clothes and a katana there. Were those, his? He shrugged and got dressed.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember?"

"I'm serious. He doesn't know anything about us or himself." She sighed.

"Great." Erza muttered "We'll figure this out later. For now let's just rest and wait for master to get better." A couple of minutes passed as everyone stood there.

"Hey miss Mira. Do you think maybe I can get something to eat before I go?" Kuro asked as he exited the infirmary. Everyone looked at him "What?" he asked as he tilted his head.

"You really don't remember?" Gray asked.

"Not a thing." He chuckled before the whole ground shook "What the hell? An earthquake?!" he yelled before everyone exited the guild only to see Phantom Lord's guild hall moving towards them "Uhh…buildings shouldn't walk, should they?" he asked.

"We'll give you one warning Fairy Tail. Give us Lucy Heartfillia or we'll destroy you right here and now!" a voice yelled from the building.

That statement produced an immediate reaction from everyone there.

"If you think we'll give up one of our friends your dead wrong!"

"There's no way we'll give her up! You'll have to kill us first!"

"Lucy's a member of Fairy Tail! There's no way we'll let you have her!"

" _Kuro's a member of Fairy Tail! If you wanna get to him you gotta go through me!"_

Kuro grabbed his head in pain as he collapsed.

"… **d!"** a faint voice whispered at the back of his mind. The name of that voice was on the tip of his tongue.

"So be it. Ryu, I trust you know what to do." A voice chuckled before a flash of light blinded everyone. A teenager was in the center of everyone with a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Why hello there, hope you won't mind if I kill all of you." He smiled happily while fazing through everyone's attacks. "Nice try." He complemented "Now how about you step aside and let me kill my ototou?" he looked at Kuro.

"Ototou?" he asked as he held his head in pain.

"Of course." He smiled. Now that everyone did get a good look at him, they could see the resemblance quite a bit "Our parents will be avenged, Nox-chan!" He smiled and dashed at the down young man. He instinctively dodged out of the way.

The younger boy smirked and punched Kira's host into the ground before jumping away, to avoid the follow up strikes of Fairy Tail. The young man was at a loss.

" _Who am I?"_ he though as he lay there. His sword was implanted into the ground, a couple of feet away from him. He barely noticed Erza and the boy fighting. Unfortunately the boy was winning as Erza almost fell from the cliff.

He looked at his sword again. He widened his one eye a bit.

" _ **This sword used to be my prison and was passed down in your family kid. I'll teach you how to be the best swordsman in the world!"**_

" _ **Your mother named you. She read this book called 'A Demon's Redemption' and was inspired by it. The protagonist was called Kuro and he endured a lot of things in the story."**_

He scowled and got up.

"… **id!"**

He smirked. He knew.

" **Go get'em kid!"** Kira encouraged him.

"Gah!" Erza yelled as she was sent into the air. She was caught by Kuro who jumped to her "Kuro?" she asked as they landed. He put her down and smirked.

"I would never forget it." He declared as he walked forward "The legacy my mother left me, Kira, this sword and also my precious name." he smirked as he powered up "The book that inspired my mother for a name was called 'A Demon's Redemption' and what a great woman picked up from that book, was my name!" he yelled with a proud grin.

"So you actually remembered. No matter." The younger boy sighed. This was going to be harder now… Eh. At least he can kill Kuro. That's why he joined Phantom Lord anyway "You'll still die here and now!" he yelled before charging forward. Kuro smirked as he took out his new revolver.

Whisper of Death.

The weapon that psycho used was now his.

He breathed in once "I'm not Nox!" he yelled before shooting. The shot kicked back…a lot.

" _Holy… This thing kicks back like Erza when you eat her strawberry cake."_

The younger boy leaned to the left and dodged with a smirk on his face.

"I…" he appeared above the boy with his sword drawn "Am Kuro!" he yelled as he stabbed the boy in the back and impaled him on the ground. The boy didn't make a sound as he slowly died. Kuro panted before black smoke burst out of the boy.

" **I haven't got hit by an attack like that…for eighteen years."** The figure spoke. Kuro snarled. The bastard demon was here!

" **I suppose this is fate after all."** He sighed **"I shall remember you Kuro Tenebris, prepare yourself for when I'm coming for you."** And with that he disappeared.

"FIRE THE JUBITER CANNON!" Jose yelled and the cannon did just that. The massive ball of magic energy was heading right for them. Erza grunted and prepared to intercept it. Her Adamantine Armor should withstand the blow. Her resolve was unmovable, that was until Kuro muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Muramasa Sword Technique- Blade Surge!" he smirked before dashing forward and slicing once. The magic energy was cut into tiny sparks of light before disappearing "You're pretty pathetic you know that?" he yelled at the giant building "Attacking _my_ guild while I was weakened! You have no honor Jose!" He smirked evilly.

"Alright you guys." He smirked "Let's destroy the fools who think that attacking us was a good idea." He smirked "I'll go after Jose. You can take care of everyone else can you? And those that stay here should keep this place safe." he asked before he jumped towards the building. He used bursts of dark energy to propel himself to the guild hall before blasting through the windows there. He rolled to absorb the impact before getting up and dusting himself off. He looked around to see no resistance. No one was trying to stop him.

Or they were simply cowards.

His thoughts drifted to what happened.

" **Don't you start now kid. The thing that shot you in the head is something you have to worry only after a few years. Trust me."**

Well there goes that. He chuckled before stopping. He narrowed his eye before leaning backwards, avoiding the iron blade. He winced before getting up.

"So the rumors are true. You are stronger than you look." A young man spoke as he crashed through a wall.

"Blacksteel Gajeel." Kuro muttered "I advise you to step aside. My business is with your master." He scowled as he prepared to fight.

"Go ahead. I'm not stopping you." Gajeel smirked "After all it's your funeral." He laughed as Kuro continued to walk.

He was in a dark hallway now. He could barely see anything and he scowled.

" **On it kid."** Kira said before the room…remained the same?

"Kira?" he asked.

" **Something's fishy here…"** Kira muttered before Kuro tensed and parried a blow from a massive scythe. The sparks from the clashing blades illuminated the close vicinity allowing Kuro to see the attacker. A disfigured figure with a red grinning mask and blood flowing from his eyeholes. He scowled before kicking it away.

"What are you?" he asked.

The being snickered before silence fell upon them. Kuro tensed again but this time he was struck and sent flying into a wall.

" **The dark is his domain…A spawn of the one who killed her."**

"Tch. That's gonna make it sweeter." Kuro smirked sadistically before dashing forward in the darkness and striking once. Their blades clashed before Kuro jumped and kicked the demon in the head. He disappeared.

Kuro tried to sense where the demon was to no avail.

He sighed.

A transparent tear opened in the room and out of it came the demon, slashing at Kuro. He was struck. He grunted before kneeling. He vomited blood.

" **The scythe was poisoned. Damn. It's gonna take a while before I can filter it out. You'll have to bear with it."**

Kuro scowled before getting up. He was getting nowhere like this. He had to get one good hit in. He hated to admit it but his sword strikes were too slow after his pseudo-death. He took out his revolver. He smirked.

He breathed once before shooting. The shot illuminated the room for a split.

The demon seemed to snarl before dashing forward.

Kuro smirked before leaning to the left and jumping upwards, avoiding the slash. He kicked the demon away into the lighted hallway outside and watched as the demon seemed much slower.

"Heh." He spun the revolver "Don't screw with a Fairy Tail mage!" he smirked as he pointed and shot at the demon, the bullet passing through the mask and into the wall on the opposite of the hallway. He smirked as the body disintegrated. He pocketed the revolver and made his way to the top of the guild. He smirked at every explosion that rocked the place. Seems Natsu was doing what he does best.

"So, I presume that Gajeel let you come here?" Jose said as he sat on his chair.

"Yes." He said simply "Why attack Fairy Tail?"

"Before you Fairy Tail scum were regarded as you are now we-Phantom Lord- were the number one guild. But now names like Erza, Laxus and Mystogan are famous. And what fool hasn't heard tales of the Salamander? But the worst of them all is you Kuro Tenebris. People both respect you and love you. In fact I might say that you are _the_ most known member there. Stories of your adventures and acts of selflessness and heroism are everywhere you take the time to hear." He spat out.

"Only because of that? Out of jealousy?!" he yelled at the end "You are worse than I thought Jose. You had even less honor than I thought you do." He snarled and prepared to draw his sword.

"Speak to those that care to listen, 'Devil'!" Jose snarled and sent his purple magic towards Kuro. The boy smirked and dodged. He ran up the wall before jumping away, kicking the Wizard Saint into a wall.

"Do you remember Jose? I could have become a Wizard Saint but I refused. Guess who's spot you have." He chuckled mockingly as he twirled his sword "Be a good little insect and give up already." He smirked.

Jose growled and got up before yelling "Dead Wave!" The multiple purple skulls cackled as they approached Kuro. The young man narrowed his one eye and the skulls froze before disintegrating "How are you doing this?! What are you!?"

"You use dark magic." Kuro muttered as he approached "I specialize in that. I am the Prince of Darkness after all."

" **Smooooth."** Kira giggled.

"Dark magic is useless against me, especially something as pathetic as that level of magic power." He smirked as he narrowed his eye "Fairy Tail has this rule that our master imposes on us. I guess I'll copy him in that regard. I'll give you to the count of three to do exactly as I say." He said and glared.

Jose regained some confidence before snarling.

"Bow before me."

Jose snarled "So you want me to concede and bow to you…NO WAY IN HELL!"

"One."

"SINCE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE MY SPOT AS A WIZARD SAINT THAT MAKES US EQUALLY POWERFULL! BUT MY ABILITY TO BE HEARTLESS MAKES ME INFINITELY STRONGER!" He gathered magic in his right hand.

"Two."

"WHY SHOULD THE MASTER OF THE TOP GUILD IN THIS COUNTRY BOW TO A LOWLY MAGE LIKE YOU!?"

"Three."

"AND NOW YOU AND YOUR GUILD ARE GOING TO DIE!" His dark magic enveloped him before sending it towards Kuro.

The young man took off his eye patch revealing an eye that had the whites colored as black, its iris was red and glowing golden veins could be seen running over the fleshy globe. Jose's magic was completely consumed by Kuro's darkness.

"Come forth, demons of the underworld. Your prince beckons you!" Kuro yelled as his right eye glowed. Thunder struck and the earth shook as a large skeletal hand burst out of the ground. A massive roar could be heard as hundreds of feral looking jester like demons climbed on the hand. The jesters began slaughtering the Shades created by Phantom Lord all with a bloodthirsty grin on their faces. They laughed as they killed and ate the remains.

"What are these things?"

"…I read about it." Levy answered "It's an-"

"Ancient magic." Their master spoke as he appeared.

"Master! Are you alright?"

"Yes. I was about to join the battle but it seems that Kuro has it all under control there."

"What's that ancient magic?"

"Go ahead Levy."

"It's called Eye of the Devil Lord, or what it's more commonly known now Devil's Sight. It allows stronger demons to summon and control other demonic beings. That was the only thing I could read about it as the text was unrecognizable."

"So does that mean that Kuro has it?"

"Not really Kuro. The only one that ever showed signs of this power was an ancient hero that was betrayed by his comrades and imprisoned. Kira was that hero."

"Kira granted him that?"

"Yes." Makarov spoke grimly as the skeletal hand rose along with a giant skeleton. In the blink of an eye the skeleton was now a demonic being with dark skin and golden glowing tribal tattoos all around his body. His shoulders had spikes protruding from them and the top of his head emanated smoke. His eyes glowed golden and his mouth was filled with sharp teeth.

" **What will you have me do my prince?"** he asked as he looked at Kuro.

"Show him not to mess with us ever again." He looked at the demon who simply smiled sadistically. His body turned to smoke and rotated around Jose. It didn't take long before he screamed in fright. It took less for him to pass out.

" **My work is done prince. Do you need anything else?"**

"No. You may return to the underworld now…"

" **Zetsubo, prince. My name is Zetsubo."**

Kuro nodded before the massive demon disappeared along with the jesters.

"Remember this Jose." He looked at the twitching mess that was Jose "Mess with a man's family and you'll get a demon." He began walking away as he put his eye patch back on. He snarled and spun around, kicking Aria away "Don't push me Aria. A warrior should attack from the front." He scoffed before looking at Fairy Tail. He smiled before he fainted and fell into the water.

* * *

A day later.

"Ahhhh." Kuro yawned as he sat at the intact bar.

"Couldn't sleep Kuro?" Mira asked.

"More like didn't sleep enough." He muttered as he put his head on the table there "My whole body hurts after I summoned Zetsubo." He groaned. Mira pat his head with a slight blush-to which Lisanna smirked from a distance-, his hair was so soft "Owww…" he groaned again "My hair hurts too…" he muttered as she stopped.

Lucy came there and put her head on the table. If one would look closely, the two were in the exact same position.

"What happened to you?" Kuro asked.

"I went on a mission with Natsu and the others."

"So? It couldn't turn out that bad." Lisanna reasoned as she came and sat there.

"Natsu beat the guys we were supposed to capture…but he also destroyed a couple houses. Gray froze his enemies but also froze the vegetables the villagers were cultivating."

"What about Erza?"

"Don't get me started on her!" she yelled and steam rose from her head "At this rate I won't be able to pay my rent."

"Well you could have bled your father dry…" Kuro muttered.

Lucy, Lisanna and Mira looked at him weirdly "Just a thought." He chuckled.

"I'm not like that."

"In any case you could try a solo mission."

"Yeah but…Me and Natsu are a team. It'd be kinda wrong for me to take a mission alone." Mira smirked at that. A barrel was thrown and hit Kuro making him fall down.

He growled and got up "Which one of you wise guys did that?!" he yelled before seeing Laxus there, arguing with Erza.

"Why don't you tell everyone how you feel then!?" Erza roared at him.

"I'd be glad." He started mocking people left and right.

"That's enough Laxus!" Mira yelled "The master said that no one will be accountable for what happened. Not even you. Even if you ignored us and didn't do anything to help." She frowned at him.

"That fight had nothing to do with me!" He smirked "Just you weaklings wait. Your days in Fairy Tail are numbered! When I become master you'll all be thrown away!" he yelled before he was slugged into a wall.

"Oops. My fist slipped." Kuro grunted "Got anything else to say?" he asked with his head tilted to the side.

"You little…!" he stopped when he felt cold steel near his neck.

"Now, now light bulb. Do you really want a repeat of that S-class trial match of ours?" he smirked before sheathing his sword "Do yourself a favor Laxus. Grow up!" he spat as he walked away. He unfortunately wasn't able to dodge the lightning strike. He fell down as smoke rose from his form. He growled as he got up "Do that again and not even the old man will recognize you after I'm done with you." He threatened.

Laxus merely laughed before disappearing "Bastard." Kuro muttered before shaking his head "What are you people looking at?" he yelled at everyone "We got a guild hall to rebuild!"

That night.

Makarov was in deep thought as he stood on the unfinished roof of the guildhall. He drank once and sighed.

"Perhaps with the new guild hall, the guild needs a new master as well." He mused out loud "Laxus would be the most obvious choice…but he's got some personal issues he needs to take care off." He shook his head "Mystogan would be good but all the mystery around him would do the guild harm. Then again there is Erza but she is still rather young and inexperienced."

He chuckled. The armored mage still had a lot to learn.

"Kuro would be the best choice…" he muttered "The boy has a good head on his shoulders, thinks things through, isn't brash…most of the time, he's strong and he's also famous all around Fiore. Still, he is on a _revenge_ quest. If he could manage to let that go, he'd make a perfect master."

"Master!" Mira yelled.

"What is it?" he asked.

"They did it again!"

"Did what?"

"Erza and her team completed the Lupinus job but they destroyed half the town!" he was in pain now "The council asked that you submit a written apology immediately." As those words were spoken, Makarov turned pale and part of him floated away as ashes.

"SCREW IT! Kuro it is! At least he doesn't destroy a whole town while on a job!" he roared.

"What is it about me?" The black haired mage asked as he approached Mira.

Makarov dropped down from the roof. He approached Kuro before nodding "You be the guild master! My heart can't take this!" he yelled.

"…Eh?" Kuro replied with the intelligence of a rock.

"I need to step down as guild master for the time being. My health is not getting better so, I need to take a small vacation."

"…" Kuro looked at him before sighing and knocking the old man unconscious. He chuckled before walking away "Want to grab something to eat Mira?" he asked.

She looked at him before giggling "Sure."

 **Chapter Preview:**

" _Something is coming…"_

" _What will you do?"_

" _I don't know."_

" _There are times when people come at a crossroads. They start questioning who they are, what are they doing and how they want to live."_

" _The ritual is almost complete."_

" _KURO!"_

" _How will you live? What will you do? Who…will you be?"_

" _I'LL KILL YOU!"_

" _Go forth with your heart as your guide, child of light, bearer of the dark and remember what true strength is, Dark Fairy of Fairy Tail."_


	5. Loyalty

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Kuro Tenebris.**

* * *

"Are the preparations complete?"

"They are, my lady. We need only a vessel now."

"Perfect." The woman smirked and threw a dagger at a picture. A white haired girl's face was cut in half in the photo.

* * *

"Come on!"

"Noooooo." Kuro drawled the word out as he sat at the table.

"Come on man!"

"How many times do I have to tell you Cana? I'm not playing Truth or Drink!" he growled.

She pouted before she left him.

" **Something on your mind kid?"**

" _Can't you just read my mind?"_

" **Ohh. Edgy as hell."** Kira laughed **"But where's the fun in that?"**

Kuro frowned _"It's just…If I was faster. I could've killed him."_

Kira was quiet. A soft sigh could be heard before silence reigned in his mind. It seems the devil's curiosity was sated…for now. He glanced at Mira and saw her and Cana get ready to play. At the table was also one of their new members along with Lisanna. Mira waved him over. He sighed. He just couldn't refuse her.

He shook his head. He had no time for petty games, especially on _this_ day. He walked out the door.

Mira looked down in sadness before gasping. How could she forget?

August 19th

"What's the matter with Tenebris?" Gajeel asked with slight curiosity. He heard a lot about the swordsman, mostly about his prowess in battle and his cunning. To see him like that was incredibly surprising.

"August 19th. He's always like that on this day." Lisanna was the one who spoke "Though no one knows why." She shrugged before Mira got up and started following Kuro. She smiled knowingly along with Cana.

Kuro was walking through the forest absentmindedly with a bouquet of flowers. He was pointing out the enemies he had made. That half breed, the thing that shot him, whoever the two worked for and the demon he swore to kill. He sighed "Things always have to be complicated." He complained before stopping. He looked at the blue sky with a glazed look on his face. He shook his head and continued to walk. He scowled as he stopped. He couldn't believe that he actually went here. The makeshift grave he made for his mother. A simple cross with her name engraved on it was near a cliff. The cliff allowed those who stayed there to see the horizon. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Seeing the trees' leaves rustling with the wind. Feeling the soft grass blades with your hand. Relaxing in the gentle rays of the sun and many, many more.

He sighed once more and sat near the cross.

His mother always loved to look at the celestial bodies in the sky. The sun, the moon, the stars, it was her favorite thing to do. She especially liked both the sunrise and the sunset. Some days she would wake him up before the sun rose and the two would watch it together. It was a simple thing but it turned into a family tradition if he thought about it.

 _Katsura Tenebris_

That was his mother's name. A powerful name for a gentle woman. He sighed once again as he sat there, simply staring into the horizon. He knew this was bad for him. Dwelling on the past would just bring him more pain. But it was hard. So, so hard.

He could barely remember how she looked.

And he hated himself for it.

His thoughts drifted to his father.

He seethed at that man's memory.

He hated him.

The fool wasn't there when his family needed him. That was enough reason for Kuro to hate him.

Kira was quiet. He went through the same thing Kuro did only on a much larger scale. He wasn't always a devil.

No.

He was human.

Just like everyone else.

But he wasn't strong enough to protect his family.

That's when he learned.

For someone to defeat an opponent stronger than him, that someone needs to become something more.

Stronger than a human.

Stronger than a dragon.

Stronger than a demon.

He had to become what he is now.

He had to become a devil.

He scoffed at that thought.

The road to hell _is_ paved with good intentions after all.

He shook his head. He put that crap behind him a long time ago. He wasn't going to let the past make who he was now.

Kuro looked at the sunset. The sky was now a beautiful shade of orange. He softly smiled and got up. He dusted his clothes before straightening the cross and putting the flowers he got for his mother near the cross. They were black roses. Extremely rare to come by but they were his mother's favorites. He could remember how they had a small garden of these things. Whenever they would bloom his mother would smile nonstop.

He looked at the cross again and scowled.

That demon bastard was going to pay.

"Black roses?" a voice asked from behind him. He tensed but relaxed soon after.

"Yeah…" he muttered.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

"That doesn't sound reassuring." The voice chuckled.

He grunted and she stopped "Why are you here Mira?" he asked.

"To check up on you." She said and went beside him "So she was your mother?"

"Yes."

"How was she? If you don't mind me asking."

"She was…beautiful, caring. She was everything a mother should be. She…died to protect me…" he scowled. He was weak back then.

"I'm sorry." She said. She briefly wondered, would she have went through the same pain he's going through if Lisanna would have died?

"Don't be." He sighed.

"It's okay to cry. I won't tell anyone."

He didn't respond.

A few drops of water flowed down on the ground before he scowled and wiped his face clean. He turned on his heel and looked at Mira "C'mon. I'm done dwelling on the past." He muttered. The two left the clearing soon after.

The wind blew, gently picking up a few petals. The petals flew in the air before they rested on the cross.

"So how's rebuilding the guild hall coming along?" he asked, surprisingly being the one breaking the serene silence. He didn't know why but he always enjoyed simply being around the white haired girl next to him. It didn't matter if they talked or just walked. It felt good.

"It's going really good!" she smiled "Everyone's helping out how they can. We took the day off to relax but it should be done in a week or so."

"Surprising. I thought it was going to take a whole lot more judging by the idiot who drew the plans." He chuckled "Who drew them anyway?" he asked.

Mira smiled. Kuro widened his one eye.

And just like that, Mira was crying her eyes out with her hands on her face.

"Come on Mira. I didn't mean it…" he sighed before Mira tiptoed and kissed his forehead. He was stunned and sputtered before backing up "W…Why'd you just kiss me on the forehead?!"

"Cause that counts to five hundred. Tomorrow we go on a date." She smirked.

"You sneaky little…" he glared before chuckling along with her.

For that one moment, everything was perfect around him. There was no desire to hunt down the demon, no empty feeling when he thought about his mother, no guilt. Just him and her.

" **Something's coming!"**

And then that moment ended.

In a flash a slender figure pinned Mira down and threw Kuro away, impaling him on a branch. He yelled in pain before looking at the figure. It was all black but there was something peculiar. It didn't wear black clothes. It was made out of some black substance. He growled and freed himself from the branch. The wound healed quickly but he fell down. His regeneration always left him drained after it was done.

He reached out to Mira but she along with the figure were gone. He closed his eyes and his consciousness faded.

* * *

Mira struggled against her chains. She had to leave some sort of trail for Fairy Tail to follow but how… Her long hair briefly touched her hands and she widened her eyes. She found her trail.

The white haired girl started tearing out strands of her hair and letting them drop. The thing in front of her that was dragging her by the chained collar was oblivious to the act.

Mira smiled to herself. It was only a matter of time before someone found her now.

Kuro found himself into a black void. He looked around but he didn't see.

He tried to talk but nothing came out.

He tried to move but he didn't fell.

It scared him.

A small light appeared in front of him. It had a distinctive humanoid form but that was it.

"What will you do?" it asked in a soft feminine, childlike voice.

"I'll find her and get her back."

The figure mouthed a long series of sentences but he couldn't hear her. The figure seemed to give a smile at the end before it exploded in a burst of light, waking him up.

He was in the guild hall.

Was it bad that he was getting used to the hard beds in the infirmary?

" **Yep."**

" _You are of so much help…"_ he groaned and got up.

"What happened Kuro?" The master asked as he got up.

"Why yes I'm fine master." He said sarcastically. The old man sighed before saying an apology. Kuro shrugged "There was this thing that pinned her and took her away. I got to find her." He said before trying to get out of bed. The old man stopped him with a slight glare.

"You need to rest now."

"I _need_ to save her." He groaned.

"How? You cannot find her. Let us do the searching."

"…Fine. I'll rest." He sighed as the master exited the room. Kuro glared at the door before getting up and putting his clothes on. He silently cursed as his favorite clothes got trashed. His body could regenerate…his clothes couldn't. He went to the window and opened it "I said I'll rest…didn't say that's all I'll do." He chuckled before jumping out the window and on his search for Mira.

* * *

Mirajane hissed in pain as the figure roughly chained her to a wall. She looked at the thing. It tilted its head at her before its whole blackened face split in two, something akin to a smile. Maybe it tried to reassure her but it just made her fell less so. The thing brushed a strand of hair from her face behind her ear and breathed on her. She hated this. She struggled to free herself.

"Stop that crap!" A woman's voice spoke from the shadows "I need her intact." The thing growled before its mouth closed up, without a trace. The thing vanished into the blackness of the cell she was in "Intriguing creatures are they not? Shadows I mean." The woman stepped closer, her steps accompanied with the clank of wood on stone "Loyal to a fault and deadly. From butlers to assassins they truly are the best servants."

"Where am I?" She asked and struggled again. This felt so wrong. She could feel the woman's eyes on her. How they bore into her. It was as if they looked inside of her. She felt like a piece of meat. She hated this.

"You are in my home. Do not worry. I don't plan to hurt you. I simply want something from you." She got closer again.

"What do you want?"

The woman stopped. Her face obscured by the shadows. The clothes she wore were expensive looking. A blue coat with golden jewelry and high-heeled boots along with black leather pants and black shirt. Her hair was long. Very long as it reached the ground "I want _**you**_." She snarled the last word while leaning forward.

Mira widened her eyes. The woman's whole face was badly burnt. Her face was barely that of a human's. Her eyes were the only things that were normal. A distinct shade of blue, different from hers. They were lighter, like the sky.

"M-me?" she asked.

"Of course." The woman chuckled "Kai? Are the preparations complete?" she asked out loud.

A man wearing glasses spoke from outside the cell "We need only wait for the full moon today."

"Good."

Mira gulped. She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

"C'mon…There's got to be something…" Kuro muttered as he looked at the surrounding area. He was back where Mira got kidnapped. He looked around but couldn't find any clues as to where she could have been taken.

He looked towards a path. He smirked.

"Nice thinking Mira." He said as he followed the strands of white hair.

"Here." That man, Kai if she remembered correctly got her some food "It won't do you any good if you starve to death."

She looked at him with a deadpan expression. She lightly shook her chains and he awkwardly blushed "Oh right…you uhh you can't eat like that." He looked down and started feeding her. She refused to eat "It's not poisoned if that's what you think…" He sighed before she relented and ate the food. It was simple cooked meat.

After finishing the meal she couldn't help but ask "Who is she?"

"My lady is of the noble house of Hellguard. A house most ancient and blessed by the Archangel Uriel himself." He sighed "At least, that's what they used to be."

"What do you mean?"

"They were annihilated. My lady wishes to kill the one responsible but she needs to become stronger. She needs to ascend from these human shackles and become a god to kill the one responsible. To do that, she needs sacrifices. You will be the last one."

"How come you're telling me this?"

"What can you do to stop her?" he asked.

"Not me." She smiled "But I know someone who will."

"Who? The boy you were with?"

Kuro was in . He scowled as he searched for the strands of hair in the snow. Thankfully there was no storm so maybe it wasn't covered up.

"Yes. He will come and he'll make you regret doing this."

He kept looking and growled when not finding anything.

"Please. That boy cannot do anything. Did you forget that you went through Mt. Hakobe? Any trace he could find is long gone." He said arrogantly.

"I wouldn't be sure about that. If there's one thing I know about Kuro, it's that he's persistent. He will find me."

Kuro smirked as he found the strand of hair. Suddenly as if by magic, he could see a whole lot more, leading him in a direction. He ran towards that.

"He'll still have to get past the Shadow." He shrugged.

"Oh I believe he can do that." She smiled "Oh and by the way." She said as he began walking out the cell "Be on your guard." She warned before the door to the cell closed.

Kuro shivered as he walked through the snow.

"Couldn't that thing take her to a tropical resort? No…It had to be cold." He sneezed.

" **Gesundheit."**

"Thanks." He muttered and rubbed his nose before continuing to walk. Another strand of hair proved he was in the right direction. He silently both cursed and praised Mira's hair. He cursed it for being white and having to keep his eye open for it in the snow. He praised it because it was long and beautiful.

"Beautiful? Where did that come from!?" he yelled before shaking his head. He had bigger fish to fry. The moon was starting to rise and he hurried his pace.

The door to her cell opened and in walked the woman and a couple of men. They all wore the exact same style of clothing- a simple white kimono with black strips. The black strips were the same unusual shade like the woman's hair.

She was unchained before two men began dragging her while following the woman. She tried to talk so she could stall them from getting where they were going "That boy Kai told me why you want to do this."

"Did he now?" the woman chuckled "And?"

"Why would you want revenge? You can live happily without trying to kill anyone."

"I'm horribly disfigured you know. How could I live with someone in happiness?" She chuckled "As for the plan. You see I want to become a goddess to cleanse this world. Destroy the darkness and end all suffering."

"You're sick."

"Aren't we all?" the woman shrugged before they arrived. She got tied to a pillar and examined the room. It was circular with glowing red runes all around the walls. None of them were familiar.

"Now. When the moonlight hits you, you shall die. And when that happens I will become a goddess. Oh don't worry I might bring you back."

She struggled to free herself but to no avail.

An explosion rocked the place.

"WHAT?!" the woman yelled and Mira smiled.

Kuro came knocking!

* * *

"Ah-choo!" Kuro sneezed as he dusted himself off. He walked through the dungeon with his sword ready and his instincts on high alert.

A screech could be heard before his senses screamed at him to dodge. He did and leaned his body to the left. Barely avoiding a thrust from the Shadow. He kicked it away soon after before it got up and its face formed a smirk with the sound of cracking bones. The thing screeched again before dashing at him. He scoffed before parrying the blow with the sheath of his sword.

The two fought for dominance before the thing overpowered him and sent him into a wall. He growled as he got up or at least tried to. The thing was on him and ready to tear his head off. He grunted and kicked it off of him and into the ceiling. He got up and panted a bit before dodging another strike. The thing tried to pounce on him but he dodged and sent it into the ground. He glared at it before jumping upwards to avoid a trip.

He landed and rolled out of the way of an attack before punching the creature away. It roared before getting ready for another dash. He grunted and prepared to draw his sword "All will die before me…" he muttered and dashed along with the creature. The two struck once.

The thing turned back to watch its enemy fall down in agony but what it saw was the cold hard ground that it died on. Its chest was oozing the black substance that was akin to blood continuously. It gave out its last breath before twitching once and laid unmoving.

"What the hell was that?"

" **A Shadow. Nasty little buggers. Really strong, really fast and really annoying. They come from human negativity."**

Kuro nodded before touching his forehead. He started to have a fever. He scowled. He had no time for this.  
And with that thought, Kuro made his way to the familiar signature of Mira's magic. He crashed through the door and snarled at them "Release Mira and I'll let you live."

"Not going to happen." The woman scoffed before she clapped once and the entire room was filled with men "Get them!" she yelled before a shot rang through and she fell. A single bullet hole in her forehead. Kuro looked around before setting his sights on a woman with a red bandana and a simple black sniper rifle.

"What're you waiting for?!" The woman from above yelled "Grab your girlfriend and let's go!" she shot Mira's chains straight off before she jumped down near the door.

He scowled at that before grabbing Mira and the three ran.

"Who are you?"

"We don't have time for this!" She yelled.

He narrowed his eye but ran along with her. They stopped around a corner and hid.

"Who are you?" He growled out.

"I'm Neameni." She smirked and pointed at herself.

"Kuro Tenebris. This is Mirajane." He pointed at the white haired girl.

"Pleasure to meet you Neameni."

"Likewise. I'd say 'let's grab something to drink' but you know. Circumstances." She glared at Kuro "I had my eyes on this gig for a whole month. You just had to come and try to save your little girlfriend…"

"She's not my girlfriend…" he deadpanned.

"I'm not his girlfriend…" Mira said.

"Really? The distance you came for her I was sure you two were…never mind. Since you are here, you might as well help me." The bandana wearing woman grunted.

The three were now stalking the halls, in search of the room they left.

" _You need to help me destroy the altar. Since she died near it, she'll be counted as a sacrifice which will be disastrous since there's no host for the ritual."_

That was Neameni's explanation on the ritual.

Mira looked worriedly at Kuro. He was panting and burning up.

"Hello there." Kai spoke from the other end of the snowy hallway. He was accompanied by four other copies of himself "I'm afraid I can't let you pass." He sighed before he along with his copies took their glasses off.

"Oh I remember him. I blinded him with a flash grenade a couple of years ago. His hearing is through the roof though. He could hear a pin drop during raging storm."

"Something I need to repay you for. In any case, Kuro. I would like to tell you that before you go on and kill all of us, four are innocents. There's only one real me." The copies alternated talking during this. He could discern one female amongst them.

" **He's telling the truth."**

"Just a reminder, the real me swallowed up a fire lacrima that is bound to explode any minute now. If you don't do something soon you will all die."

"Dammit…I don't want to kill innocents." Neameni grunted.

Mira tried to think of a solution but she couldn't. Her eyes drifted to Kuro as he kneeled and picked something up. The five Kais started running at them.

" _The real one's blind right? That means that four of the five can see…Gotcha!"_ Kuro smirked and dashed forward.

"Kuro!" Mira yelled.

"Don't tell me you're gambling with odds like these!" Neameni yelled.

"Watch and learn!" he yelled before showing off the small rock he had. He stealthily switched the rock to his left hand and threw. Four of the Kais looked towards the apparent trajectory but the rock bounced off with a 'Clank!' from the railway on the other side. He smirked as one of the Kais' head turned in that direction instinctively "Gotcha you bastard." He ran faster. Avoiding the other Kais' attacks he sliced once and sent the real Kai flying over the railing. His whole abdomen was cut.

"You…win…" Kai spoke before he landed. Kuro panted as he kneeled down. That should cover the lacrima from exploding. Now to find the ritual chamber again. Mira ran up to him as the other Kais fainted. She touched his forehead and gasped. He was burning up. He was pushing himself too far for her.

She looked at the bandana wearing woman "We need to get him to a hospital."

The woman chuckled before her chuckled turned into full-blown laughter "Now why would I do that? If I do that, my chance at godhood will be lost!" she grinned.

"What?" he coughed.

"Aww don't tell me you're surprised! I mean who would pass up becoming God eh?" she smirked before a dozen of men appeared "I'm your new leader!" she yelled at them "Kill both of them!" the men slowly advanced towards the two.

"Mira…You gotta run. I'll…I'll distract them." Kuro said as he painfully got up.

"No." she said before grabbing him "I got you in this mess. You run." She said before pushing him off the edge. The snow there should soften his fall.

"No…" he muttered before falling. He crashed through the snow and grunted as he saw Mira get taken away. He growled and got up before shakily making his way back into the building. He couldn't fight now. He needed to hide. And so he climbed into the vents of the building. He sighed as he laid down on his back.

"I couldn't keep her safe." He muttered to himself "I haven't changed. I'm a weak, pathetic coward! Just like before!" he growled before finding a diary of some sorts.

He felt sick reading through it. It was diary of a slave girl. A girl who was hurt, berated and raped each day. The diary depicted the deaths of everyone who wronged her. At the bottom of one page was the name Neameni written on it.

He felt…pity towards the woman.

" **You know? If you ally yourself with the chick trying to become God, you could technically ask her to bring your mother back."** Kira suddenly spoke.

"…"

" **What will you do?"**

"I don't know…"

"What are you going to do?" Mira asked as she kneeled.

" _There are times when people come at a crossroads. They start questioning who they are, what are they doing and how they want to live."_

"I'm going to draw out Kuro." Neameni smirked before she grabbed a microphone. She got a dagger and slashed the top side of her dress. She widened her eyes as she got pinned down by one of the men "Testing, testing. I know you're around Kuro but it would be in your best interest to come here. You wouldn't want to miss the fire sale on Mirajane's maidenhood now would you?"

He widened his eyes as he heard that. He turned around and crawled through the vents towards Mira's signature. He crashed through the roof and ran.

"NO! STOP IT! GET AWAY!" he could hear Mira yell.

" _Hey I trust him."_

" _It's okay to cry. I won't tell anyone."_

" _Why'd you just kiss me on the forehead?!"_

" _Cause that counts to five hundred. Tomorrow we go on a date."_

He grunted and sped up.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! KURO!" Mira screamed before the doors burst out.

" _How will you live? What will you do? Who…will you be?"_

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Kuro roared and slashed once. The slash cut everyone near Mira in half instantaneously. Their upper bodies fell down with a wet 'Thunk'. Mira was too scared to see what Kuro just did.

"Heh. You're more of a man than I thought you were Kuro. This changes things." She sighed "How about the two of us become allies? When I become a God I can grant your every wish. There's got to be something you need."

"…" He looked down "That thought occurred to me. But I refuse."

"You little…!" she calmed down "No matter. The moon will be in position soon. Even if you fight you will either be too late or die."

"Tch. Funny. Normally when I'm in dangerous situations my instincts tell me so." He smirked "But somehow they aren't screaming at me to run." She grimaced "Which means I'm not checkmated yet. I still have options. Options like this." He took off his long coat and covered Mira with it. She looked at him with grateful eyes. He got up and glared "I'll live in the present. The past is behind me. There's no point in trying to return." He got his gun ready. He lost most bullets during the fall but he still had one.

"You idiot boy!" The bandana wearing woman growled before taking aim.

"Look at this!" he yelled and threw a book. She glanced at it before widening her eyes.

" _It couldn't be…"_ she thought before dropping her sniper rifle and grabbing the book. She touched the red cover with a smile as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes "Where have you been?" she asked the book before she heard a gun being cocked near her forehead. She glanced up only to see the barrel of a gun staring down at her. She sighed before the magical bullet was discharged with a giant bang.

Her whole head exploded and her body fell down. He stared at the body before turning on his heel. He looked at the men there. They were crying over the death of their priestess.

He scoffed.

That diary showed him a lot.

This place was a cult that worshiped some sort of deity. When the woman that kidnapped Mira got here they saw her as some sort of priestess. The woman he just killed now was a slave that the woman used to keep the men in check, letting them relieve stress through her.

He scowled and swung once, releasing potent magical energy and killing all the bastards there. Mira hugged him from her kneeling position as she shuddered. He looked down. His hair overshadowed his eyes which contained barely contained hatred. He should have been faster. He should have known! He should have been better!

"Kuro!" she sniffed as she cried. She had a vice grip on him but he didn't say anything. He had no right…

"I'm sorry." He said before he fainted.

Mira cried once before having to take Kuro back. She somehow succeeded before crashing down on the floor of her beloved guild. After Porlyusica checked him for any lasting effects she declared that he was going to be fine. He just needed to rest for a bit before doing anything. Now she didn't tell him this as he was unconscious. That job was Makarov's.

The other guild members tried to make Mira tell them what happened but whenever someone brought up that subject she just clammed up and hugged her knees close to her chest. She acted normally but there were some signs. Whenever her brother would touch her shoulder to get her attention she would tense before she would relax. Some people caught on what happened back then but others didn't.

A soft, soothing light was above Kuro's bed. The light took a female like form before leaning down next to Kuro. The figure brushed a strand of hair from his one visible eye and seemed to smile. It then kissed him on the forehead. The door opened and the light was gone. If one would look at Kuro they would see a smile on his face.

A day later and he was up. He looked at his hands before scowling. He needed to get stronger. What was about to happen to Mira was something that was way too close for comfort.

" **You alright kid?"**

"No…Miro almost got… you know."

" **That's good."**

Kuro growled "Good?! How is that good?"

" **It's good because the** _ **almost**_ **was there. Better than the deed being done, don't you think?"**

He sighed "I guess…" he got up and looked at a chair. On it were new clothes. He raised an eyebrow and looked to see what the clothes were like. He smiled and donned them.

The coat he had now was the same shade of black but with intricate dark grey designs on the length of it. His shirt was a dark red and reached past his lower back. The pants were the same color as the shirt with a scale-y design and his new shoes were combat boots of the same model as before only the same color as the shirt and pants. He smirked as he tied his katana to the belt of his pants and put on a black fingerless glove on his left hand.

A piece of clothing fell as he straightened the bed he laid in. It was an eye-patch, black in color with a tribal white triangle on it. He chuckled before putting it on and leaving the infirmary. He opened the door and crashed straight into a person. Because of his larger size the two fell with him on top.

"Sorry." He apologized before seeing who he fell on "Mira?"

"Kuro…" she smiled softly before he got up and helped her "Thanks." She said before the two sat down at a table.

"…Are you alright?" he asked suddenly "With the…" he didn't say anything else as Mira raised a hand.

"Just…just don't bring it up. I'd rather forget all of that happened." She sighed.

He nodded before looking down. He wasn't good at making small talk. Usually people started the conversation, not him.

Thankfully the master decided to spare him the awkward moment "Kuro, a moment?"

He nodded and went to the second floor "What is it?" he leaned on a pillar there.

"I said stay put and you went regardless."

"So? I saved her didn't I?"

"You could have gotten killed as well!" the master shouted in anger. The guild quieted down at that.

"Hey unlike some people I can't stand to see people I care about get hurt." He glared at the short master.

"Well because you couldn't stand waiting to see what would happen, the council now wants you dead!"

"They wanted that for years!" he growled.

"And now they have the motive to do so. The people you _killed_ in that place are enough of a reason for the council to declare you a Dark Mage!"

"Wait. Kuro killed people?" Natsu asked. They got here a day ago.

The master looked expectantly at the black haired young man in question. He sighed and spoke "Yes. I did."

"It was in self-defense right?" Erza asked with a raised eyebrow.

"…Not mine."

"Then whose?"

"…" he stayed quiet. It wasn't his place to say what happened. If they wanted to hate him then let them.

"Kuro? Who did you kill for?"

"…" he was getting agitated. He clenched his sword. Makarov saw that and got ready for the worst.

Just when a fight looked about ready to break out Mira intervened "It was mine…" she said softly but everyone could hear it.

"Huh?"

"I got kidnapped by something. One thing lead to another and Kuro had to kill to keep me safe." hhe looked down and shivered. Kuro narrowed his eyes. She was uncomfortable telling everyone this.

"Is it true Kuro?"

"…" he didn't say anything. The old fool was really getting on his nerves with his lack of trust. He scoffed and jumped to the first floor with a thud. He got up and dusted himself before making his way out. He passed by Erza. The two locked eyes for a second before he continued to walk. She nodded. Mira was telling the truth.

The sun was rising as Kuro walked along the riverbank. The soft sound of the passing water helped sooth his mind and nerves. He smiled slightly as he watched a group of kids playing in the water. A little girl noticed him and waved at him. He grunted and waved before turning around and continuing to walk. Not long after he joined Fairy Tail he ended up helping at the orphanage in Magnolia.

Lisanna asked him so it was a given that he'd help. Damn that girl's puppy dog eyes spell.

The kids there took a liking to him. A girl in particular who didn't interact much was the one that took a shine to him the most.

Flashback

 _Kuro yawned as he watched over the hyperactive kids running all over the place._

" _Getting tired Kuro-san?" an old woman asked with a chuckle._

" _No." he said before resuming watching over the kids. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a little girl with short dark purple hair. She was standing in the corner, simply staring at the other kids, occasionally stealing glances at him. When she saw that she was caught staring she blushed and looked away, looking awkwardly back only to do the same again. He raised an eyebrow before looking at the old woman "What's wrong with her?" he nodded towards the girl._

" _Hanako?" she asked. He simply nodded "Yeah she's not a very social person." She sighed "Her parents died not too long ago and now she's like this. She rarely talks, she doesn't play and I can barely make her eat."_

 _He narrowed his eye and got up "You good here?" She nodded and smiled as he approached the girl._

 _He bowed down to her level and stared at her. She stared right back before she awkwardly looked away "What do you want?" she asked._

" _What happened to your parents?" he asked. The old woman's jaw dropped as he asked that. What? Was he too blunt?_

 _To everyone's surprise the young girl smiled "It's kinda nice to be asked like that." She looked at him "They died in a storm at sea. They were on a vacation and…" she stopped and looked down, ready to cry. He grunted and picked her up before setting her on his shoulders. She yelped before he started walking "H-Hey! Where are we going?!" she yelled._

" _Somewhere." He muttered and left along with the girl._

 _The two were in a clearing overlooking the sea. He got her off and he began cutting wood "What're you doing?" she asked._

" _Making a cross." He said._

" _H-Huh?" she was surprised._

" _It's going to make you feel better. Trust me." He said and she looked at him._

" _C-Can I help?"_

" _Sure."_

 _Hours passed and the sun was setting. The cross was now made out of smooth wood with the names of the girl engraved on it. He set it into the ground and planted some dirt around it. He looked at the cross as the girl sneaked her hand around his. She gripped tightly as she cried. He let her do that before she eventually calmed down. He picked her up again and started walking towards the orphanage._

" _Did that make you feel better?" he asked. She grinned, a lollipop in mouth. She asked for one as they were coming back. He tried to refuse but you can see the result._

" _Loads better!" She smiled._

 _He let her down and opened the doors for her._

" _Will you come and visit?" she asked while looking up at him._

" _I'll try." He shrugged. He wasn't going to make any promises._

" _Alright!" she grinned and entered the orphanage. The old woman exited and smiled at him._

" _How'd you do it?" she asked._

" _Do what?"_

" _She smiled. I haven't seen her do that ever since she came here."_

 _He shrugged and started walking away "Hey Kuro-san!" she threw him a bag of something. It was Jewels "Thanks a lot!" she smiled before the bag was thrown back and Kuro was walking away._

 _The old woman chuckled "That kid is something else."_

 _Flashback end._

He scoffed as his memory ended. He looked at the morning sun before climbing back to the streets. He walked again and stopped at the bridge. He sighed and leaned on it, overlooking the flowing water.

" **Hey kid!"**

" _Yeah? What is it?"_

" **Mind telling me why you're going emo on me?!"** Kira yelled and Kuro fell in shock at the question.

Climbing out of the water he coughed before internally glaring at Kira.

" **You have to admit, that was funny."** Kira laughed madly.

" _Ha-ha."_ He grunted and walked back to his house.

He remembered suddenly and slapped his forehead. Today was the Fantasia Parade!

He groaned before making his way back to the guild.

The 'Miss Fairy Tail' contest was in progress as he entered.

He sat at a table before looking to see the competitors.

Mira was on stage. He ignored Max yelling about her and for her to show off her stuff. Instead he focused on her. Her smile, her hair, her Happy face?

…

…

" **WHAT THE FUCK!? MUST. BURN. IMAGE!"** Kira yelled while flesh hitting wood could be heard **"IT'S NOT WORKING!"** he cried in anguish.

Kuro stared simply. He drank his water while silently praying that Mira wouldn't come to haunt him in his dreams. He ignored the rest as he drank. He widened his eye as a familiar magical power appeared.

Laxus was here.

He looked at the stage to find him next to a petrified Lucy. Behind were the other girls, also made out of stone now. He growled when he saw Mira like that. He got up and walked over to Laxus.

"A Fairy Tail battle royale!" Laxus yelled before disappearing. Kuro grunted and turned around.

"Kuro…Did you hear all that?"

"Yes. I'm going after Laxus."

"Do not severely injure him."

"Can't promise that." He grunted and exited the guild hall.

He set into a light jog into a direction. He could feel Laxus' magic energy coming from there so it was his best bet.

Back in the guild hall.

Runes appeared at the exit.

"Kuro Tenebris versus unknown?" Makarov read out loud "What in the world?"

"Ohh man! They're getting to have all the fun!"

A rune wall appeared around him. He scowled as he tried to cut through it. It didn't work and he growled.

"Well, well, well." A familiar voice spoke from above him "Looks like we won't be interrupted like this." A flap of wings and the figure was at the same level as he. It was the figure that shot him a few weeks ago.

Kira scowled. Looks like _he_ was getting impatient.

"You again." Kuro grunted before setting into a stance "Who are you?"

"We…are Kindred." The figure bowed. Its wings were dual colored. The one on the male side was like that of a bat's while the other one was that of a bird's "And right now, we need Kira."

Kuro narrowed his eye and prepared to draw his sword. He blinked and the figure was gone.

"Nighty night." The figure spoke from behind him. He scowled and jumped over it, avoiding the shot before kicking it away. It got up and dusted itself before cracking its neck and smirking "Oh this is going to be so much fun." And with that it flew towards him. He prepared before he found himself being dragged to the right. The figure smirked as it threw him into a rune wall. He groaned as he released himself and fell down.

He looked around before the figure dropped on him. A massive crash was heard as the figure laughed. It got off of him and went to grab him and leave. He suddenly got up and tripped the figure. He tried to impale it on his sword but it blocked the strike with its wings. It smirked before back flipping away "Funny thing about our wings. They are impenetrable."

He growled and shot once. The bullet was blocked by the wings though with difficulty "You're not gonna get rid of us that easily. Wings. Remember?" it cackled. He growled and got into a different stance. It smirked before dashing forth once more. It grabbed him and flew into the air before deciding to crash down. It started dropping before Kuro smirked. He got out of Kindred's hold and got on top of it. He grabbed its wings and started the pull.

"You keep bragging about your fancy wings." Kuro growled "Let's see you land without them!" He roared and tore the appendages right off. The figure screamed in agony before Kuro got off and let Kindred crash on the ground. He used the wings he just tore off to glide back down safely.

He sighed as he let the wings drop and the rune wall disappeared. He looked behind him when he heard a weak laugh "You were right master. He truly is the one!" Kindred laughed before looking at the sky "But now the question is, will he have what it takes to do it?" Kuro grunted and made his way to it.

"Who is your master?"

"You'd like to know that wouldn't you?" it cackled "You'll see soon enough. I just can't wait to meet you in hell after he's done with you!" it gleefully spoke "Oh I can see our rematch." It sighed dreamily as it started to rot away.

Kuro scowled. He wasn't getting anything out of it. He turned around and proceeded to go after Laxus' signature "One more thing, Black Light." It spoke as he left. He stopped and listened "You'll die. You'll all die. Every human out there will perish because in the end my master's not in your world. You all are in his." It laughed before a bullet passed through its skull. Kuro scowled as he holstered the handgun and walked away silently.

In a dark place.

"Kindred failed…" a woman's voice sighed.

"So did the two siblings." An old voice spoke. It was male.

"Weaklings. All of them." A younger voice scoffed.

"He's getting stronger." A mature man's voice muttered.

"What would you have us do master?" the woman spoke with something akin to affection.

"We will observe for now." The mature voice coldly spoke "If he proves to be an obstacle I believe we have something that would…interest him." A faint light could be seen in an orange tube filled with liquid. It resembled a woman "Don't we, Katsura Tenebris?"

Back in Magnolia

The fight took longer than he planned. Right now he, Natsu and Gajeel were fighting Laxus. He scoffed. This was just overkill. Laxus was backed into a corner thanks to his presence here.

The blonde mage growled and summoned his magic power "FAIRY LAW!" he roared as light began to flood from him.

" **Kid…Run!"**

He widened his eye and did what his inner demon yelled at him to. That much concentrated light could kill Kira even if he reached into the deepest parts of Kuro's soul.

Unfortunately for Kuro, he wasn't faster than light and thus got hit.

He screamed in agony along with Kira before falling unconscious, the final words that the figure made from light spoke to him surfacing.

" _Go forth with your heart as your guide, child of light, bearer of the dark and remember what true strength is, Dark Fairy of Fairy Tail."_

 **Chapter Preview:**

 _"Now that you've been exiled you finally get it?"_

 _"Are you alright?"_

 _"Besides the massive headache and the sore body, yeah. Just peachy."_

 _"Things have been quiet."_

 _"That can't be good."_

 _"Kuro. You along with Team Natsu are going to band together with members from other legal guilds to defeat Oracion Seis. You will also be accompanied by two independent mages."_

 _"I can't trust these people..."_

 _"YOU!?"_


	6. Ambition

**A/N: A small edit was made and changed the name of one OC. It was the same as a Canon Character so as to not create confusion I changed it. Sorry for any inconvenience.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Kuro Tenebris and any OC here.**

* * *

The small rays of light entered the room Kuro was in. He muttered something before turning around. Mira regained her magic which was good. Very good. Now Fairy Tail had another strong mage to protect them. He smiled slightly at that. The rays of light crept towards his eyes. He scowled and got up.

He regretted doing so the next second.

" _Kira? You there?"_

" **Barely…Lightning butt's light spell screwed up our link kid. I managed to keep it but it was close, really close."**

" _I should have been faster. I'm sorry."_

" **Bah, don't beat yourself up over it kid."**

"Are you alright?" the old master asked from beside his bead.

"Besides the massive headache and the sore body, yeah. Just peachy." He sarcastically grunted. This hurt more than that time when he summoned Zetsubo.

"That's good." Makarov smirked before sighing "I would like to apologize." Kuro raised an eyebrow "For how I acted I mean. You had good intentions and also good results."

"Spare me the apologies." Kuro grunted and got up "I don't need them. What I need is for you to trust me. I know what I'm doing and you should respect that." He narrowed his eye at the old man who simply sighed and exited the room.

"Yes he's awake Mira." His voice could be heard from outside before the door opened and in stepped the white haired beauty.

"Hey." He nodded.

"Hey." She smiled and sat next to his bed. She had an apple with a small knife and a plate. She hummed lightly as she began peeling the apple "I should slap you." She eventually said.

"What for?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Going after Laxus…you barely woke up after…" she frowned "Anyway. After you wake up you decide to do the opposite of what Porlyusica said. You're gonna die from exhaustion at this rate."

He scoffed "Hardly. I'm fine Mira."

"You made me worry." She looked at him. Her eyes were boring into his lone one. He resisted wincing. He hurt her and he hated himself for it.

"Sorry…" he muttered before she handed him the peeled apple. He accepted and ate before he smiled slightly. She followed suite and grinned at him.

"You can make up to me on our date." She smirked.

"Eh?" he stopped eating.

"I got to five hundred. Remember?"

"Oh crud." He sighed and nodded "Fine. A promise is a promise. I'll take you out…next week? How does that sound?"

She nodded "Sounds great to me." She smiled and left. He groaned and crashed back down on the bed.

* * *

The Fantasia Parade was in full swing. Kuro scoffed as he watched the town folk happily cheering for the mages of Fairy Tail. Fools. All of them. They were this close to dying and they never once thought about it. He stood in an alley as Laxus walked up to him. He was bandaged and had a duffel bag over his shoulder. Kuro paid him no mind.

"Hey Kuro." He called out to him. The young man in question glanced at the blonde haired mage. Laxus took it as an incentive to keep talking "Hey look. I'm sorry about how I acted towards you and the other guild members."

Kuro scoffed and leaned on the wall "Now that you've been exiled do you finally get it?" he asked with a sneer "You had a loving family and you threw it away for what?" he growled.

Laxus looked down "I know I screwed up. I don't need you to rub it in." he sighed before chuckling "So Natsu beat you?"

"Hey, I'll have you know it was a team effort between him and Gajeel. And I also used Fairy Law. My magic got depleted real fast."

Kuro scoffed again before getting up and starting to go to the Fantasia Parade. He stopped "Hope you find yourself Laxus."

"Me too." Laxus sighed before widening his eyes. Kuro and the rest of the guild members had their right hands up in a symbol he created as a kid. He knew what the symbol meant. Tears fell from his eyes as he walked away. He was going to make things right again. He was!

As Kuro sat in the guild hall he couldn't help but look into his drink. He saw his face and scowled. He lost his eye and in turn gained something much better. He chuckled to himself at the irony of this. The master broke him out of his thoughts.

"Kuro. You along with Team Natsu are going to band together with members from other legal guilds to defeat Oracion Seis. You will also be accompanied by two independent mages."

"Oh? How come?" he said before downing the rest of his drink and turning to the short master.

"Right now you are our strongest member along with Erza." That was a simple reason but it was enough. Kuro sighed and got up before nodding. The master smiled and nodded before leaving. Looks like his date with Mira would have to wait. He looked at Mira. She smiled at him. She was okay with it, it seemed. He looked at Team Natsu. They were ready to go. He straightened his collar and the six members started walking.

* * *

"Kill…meeee…" Natsu whined as the carriage bumped in a particular way. His motion sickness always amused Kuro. Natsu held so much power thanks to his Dragon Slaying magic and yet motion sickness was his ultimate weakness. He couldn't do anything while on any mode of transportation. He chuckled as Natsu spilled out his breakfast out of the carriage. He got up and loomed over Natsu. He knocked the poor boy into unconsciousness with a kick to the head.

Lucy sweat dropped at that as Kuro sat back down while arranging his sword on the ground. He sat with his legs spread and leaning on a box. He was an enigma to Lucy. Sure he was a good friend to those in Fairy Tail from what everyone was telling her but she didn't see him interact with anyone but Mira. She asked Mira about this. The barmaid simply smiled and told her 'It's just how he is. He may not look like it, but he cares a lot about everyone here. He went to great lengths to memorize everyone's names and looks. He said that's because he's a swordsman but he never told me how that's important.'

 _"Kuro?"_ she asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" he hummed and glanced at her.

"You're a swordsman right?" he nodded. What was the point of this? "What's the most important thing for one? Is it protecting people?"

He chuckled "Far from it. Swordsmen don't care much for that. We simply have honor and pride. We show that honor in fight to our opponent. We don't resolve to dirty tricks such as getting inside our opponent's head and insulting him. Of course. That is if we _do_ respect their prowess." He shrugged.

"Okay…" she said and fished around for something "What's the worst thing that could happen to a swordsman?"

"…" he got really quiet at that. Erza, Gray and Happy leaned in to hear what he was going to say. He looked down "To be forgotten." He eventually sighed out "There is no greater disgrace than to not be remembered by time. It's as if we have lost all honor and have been reduced to common mercenaries." He spat "But that's a whole different story." He waved dismissively "It would not interest you." And with that the carriage got quiet once more.

" _I can't trust these people…"_ Kuro thought as he saw the members of Blue Pegasus _"I can't trust these people to fight…"_ he continued with a small sneer. He dodged the flying Ichya. The man flew right into the hand of another and froze instantly.

"Is this how we are greeted?" the younger man scowled "Lamia Scale deserves more respect than this!" he looked at them.

Kuro ignored the man and his companions. They had more magic power than the ones from Blue Pegasus but it wasn't something to brag about. That was until an older man arrived. Kuro smirked. One of the Ten Wizard Saints was here eh? This mission just got a whole lot more interesting.

"Kuro-san." Jura nodded "I see you are also here. When Makarov-dono reported that you were joining us I didn't believe him. I never thought you would have joined a guild."

"People change Jura." He said as he leaned on a pillar there.

"Is everyone here?"

"The mage from Cait Shelter and the two independent ones aren't here."

"Wait. Mage? As in only one?" Lucy asked. Hibiki nodded "How strong is that guy then?"

"We're about to find out." Kuro muttered as a blue haired girl ran in and tripped. Now he wouldn't have chuckled at a young girl's misfortune but the sound she made was simply too amusing. She got up and bowed slightly.

"Uhm…I'm Wendy Marvel. Pleased to meet everyone." She quivered while she spoke. She was nervous before a white cat, the same as Happy showed up "Carla!" the girl obviously knew the cat. She bowed down to the cat's level.

"You know you should not run child."

"I'm sorry but I thought we were going to be late."

Kuro widened his eyes as he sensed the girl's magic power. What was on the outside was easily lower than most of them. What was inside, dormant could easily dwarf his own. It was like Natsu's… and Gajeel's…She was a Dragon Slayer! He smirked as the girl thought she embarrassed herself. His ear twitched and he looked at the door. Someone was coming. He narrowed his one eye before he looked down. Wendy was there and smiling at him "Wow. You're Kuro Tenebris!" she was a fan. Stories about his selflessness reached even her secluded guild. She developed a sense of admiration towards the young man.

He nodded "C-Could I stay with you?" he raised an eyebrow "It's just…the others kinda weird me out…" she fiddled with her thumbs as he glanced at the ones from Blue Pegasus. No doubt they tried pampering her. Praising her for what she will be when she's older. He shook his head at that and she took it the wrong way. He grabbed her shoulder as she was about to leave and he motioned for a spot next to him. She smiled and sat there in blissful silence.

Kuro frowned. The footsteps were getting closer and closer until two figures entered. One was a girl, around Levy's height with pale blonde hair reaching her shoulders and dull blue eyes. Her clothing consisted of a split light blue dress with blue jeans and shoes. Over her shoulders she wore a very short fluffy coat of the same color as her dress. Over her head, she wore a red ribbon. She had an emotionless expression on her face.

The other figure was male with a tall build and purple coat with intricate white symbols on the back of it. The figure wore a white shirt with grey pants and a black belt along with brown combat boots. He had short wavy brown hair with dark green eyes. Tied to his belt was a sheathed katana. His eyes analyzed everyone in the room. Those eyes stopped on him.

"…"

"…"

"YOU?!" they both yelled and pointed at each other. The two reached for their weapons and prepared to fight. They glared at one another before their magic took their usual form. Kuro growled and the man followed. They dashed and two things happened.

One. Erza stopped Kuro.

Two. The girl stopped the man.

Erza held Kuro back while the girl…well she did something else.

"Ow. Ow. Ow!" Fukushu whined as the girl pulled on his ear…hard. She looked at him "Yeah he's the guy." She stared "Wha? No of course not." She raised an eyebrow, he blushed "No way I'm telling him that!" she tightened her hold on his ear "Ow. Okay fine." She let go and he cracked his neck.

Meanwhile Kuro freed himself from Erza's hold and glared at the red haired mage. She simply smiled at him before he sighed. Fukushu approached him while glaring at the ground "…Wanted to thank you…for helping save my sister." He muttered, his gaze never rising from the floor.

Kuro raised an eyebrow "I did no such thing."

"It was when we fought. Since you destroyed that guild, my sister was able to escape." He clarified.

"If you wouldn't have been so weak I wouldn't have needed to help her." He deadpanned at that.

"Oh you piece of…!" his sister coughed and he calmed down "How's the eye?" he smirked.

Kuro's left eyebrow twitched at that "Fine. Thanks for asking." He growled out before everyone calmed down.

"I'm Fukushu Laminas." He introduced himself before his sister stepped up.

"Hana Laminas." She spoke robotically.

"Well then seeing as we are all here how about we get down to business?" a member of Blue Pegasus asked while bringing up a screen of some sorts. Kuro recognized that magic as Archive magic. Useful for categorizing. Not so much in a fight.

He was silent as he watched them enumerate the enemies they were going to face. However, inside he was already making plans. He resisted the urge to smirk as Natsu ran off on his own and towards the presumed location of Oracion Seis. He frowned and followed everyone out. He briefly glanced at the Laminas siblings. The girl ran strategically while conserving her movement. She was on guard. She was prepared for everything. He smirked. The girl was smart. His eye trailed off to her right hand. It was covered by a glove and the sleeve of her short coat. He narrowed his eye. She was hiding something.

Her brother however was the opposite. Kuro could feel the blood thirst around the presumably older Laminas sibling. He, like the girl, was prepared though this was to enjoy the fight rather than to simply not be caught by surprise. He smirked. The man was like him. He briefly glanced at the sword he wielded. His right eye's scar burned and ached. He scowled, ignoring the annoyance.

The group stopped. Kuro looked up and frowned. The Magic Bomber Christina. He scowled. That was a tool. Nothing more. Like a sword. He didn't know why everyone was so impressed by it. Well except Hana. He couldn't read her emotions.

Their happiness was short lived as the craft came crashing down. Kuro scowled. Their enemies were here. He got on guard and so did the Laminas siblings. Seems they followed their instincts as well. Kuro held back and observed how the mage Cobra avoided all of Erza's attacks. He scowled as she was hit by her opponent's serpent. He smirked as he dashed towards him. The younger man barely had any time to react.

He ducked under the strike and smirked as Kuro stopped and glanced at him.

"…Those are some good plans you have. I like two and five the most." Cobra smirked at him. Kuro narrowed his eye before a clap was heard followed by a bright, blue light. An earth fist rose out of the ground and sent Cobra flying into the air. He looked and saw Hana crouched down with her hands on the ground. Was she the one who did that?

"Now sis!" Fukushu yelled and ran forward. He used the rising earth pillars as stepping stones to reach his target. Cobra's pet snake suddenly whisked its master away from Fukushu's slash. Cobra smirked once again but that was before Kuro kicked him into the ground and threw his snake back at him. Kuro gracefully landed back on the ground.

His victory was short lived as everyone else was defeated. He scowled as the Oracion Seis got away. He glared at the others there. He scoffed and muttered "Weak…" He glanced at Hana and Fukushu before nodding in recognition. Seems this group had some good fighters beside he and Erza.

Speaking of the red haired mage, she was currently on the ground and using Lucy's belt to stop the flow of her blood. The strike which Cobra's snake used held poison. She was smart.

However her next words…

"Cut off my arm! Before the poison gets further than this."

That was anything but smart.

Kuro sighed as most started arguing. He breathed in deeply "QUIET!" he roared and everyone shut up. Some birds flew away from the noise. He nodded a small 'thanks' before drawing his sword. He loomed over Erza.

"Wait a sec Kuro! You can't do this!" Gray yelled but he already swung once. Blood was spilled. He got on his knees and started sucking on the fresh wound before spitting out the infected blood. He did so for about a minute before the purple glow subsided considerably.

He got up and bandaged the arm.

"There we go. That should give you a few more hours at worst. A few days at best." He said "I never had that much training with poisons so I can't extract all of it." He shrugged "But I think I know someone who can. Isn't that right Carla?" he glanced at the cat.

"Yes. Wendy can do it. She's the Sky Dragon Slayer." Kuro smirked and looked up at the sky before scowling.

" **You feel it too don't you?"**

" _Yeah. There's something coming."_

" **What are you going to do?"**

" _What I've always done. Protect my sister."_

" **Not always…"**

The many voices of Horitsu muttered and he frowned. There was a time when they were much younger and in his opinion stupid. Their parents died and they turned to Alchemy and Dark Magic to bring them back. His sister was a prodigy in the rare science and he was extremely talented in Dark Magic. They combined their efforts to try to perform a Human Transmutation- a strictly forbidden act that even the most novice of alchemists knew not to perform. That damned act cost him his soul and his sister's right arm.

Something happened while he was in limbo and he was pulled back though now he had to share his body with Horitsu. A devil made from countless demons. His sister lost even more for that transmutation. Her magic power along with her intestines were stolen and thus could not process the nutrients in the food fully. She had to take weekly doses of vitamins and nutrients to live. It was a hassle but she would do all that in a heartbeat.

Fukushu knew they were both broken. His sister more than him. He was fine living like this. Horitsu never tried to take over saying that 'When you'll die, we'll take over. Simple as that. We have all the time in the world.' The nightmares were the only things he hated. His sister however, barely spoke. Where once was a childish, happy girl, was now a mature, cold young woman. Fukushu hated that. He was the one who proposed they do the Human Transmutation in the first place.

Kuro Tenebris showing up and helping them indirectly gave her something to look for. She saw Kuro as a role model of sorts. The two could see him broken as well. He was holding it all together for Fairy Tail's sake most likely but other than that there was nothing except his desire for revenge pushing him further. He was dead on the inside and Fukushu wondered if the other young man knew that.

His sister admired Kuro. He was strong and seemed to care for life all around him as long as they didn't cross him. She couldn't help but be thankful to the black wearing young man. After all he saved her and the only family she had left.

He himself respected the black haired swordsman simply for being just that, a swordsman. Honor amongst them was not to be walked on. He started respecting him ever since he accepted the challenge to end their little fight in a single strike.

In any case here they were now. An alchemist and a swordsman looking to make a living and perhaps set everything back to the way they were. Perhaps set things right…

Kuro scowled before shaking his head. Kira was nowhere to be seen…err heard. It had to be Fairy Law screwing up the darkness inside of him. He knew it. He frowned and set out towards Oracion Seis' magical signature.

"Hey Tenebris!" Fukushu called him "Where are you going?"

"Oracion Seis." He stopped "If we have time to mess around, we have time to finish the mission." Hana nodded to herself and got up. She staggered a bit and her brother helped her. She looked at him in thanks and he nodded. She and her brother walked beside Kuro. The young man seemed to understand and called out to the others "We'll go on ahead. You be careful."

The three stopped on a cliff as the massive building known as Nirvana rose up from the ground.

" **Nirvana eh? There are some of us that have been affected by it. Do not lose yourself."**

Fukushu nodded curtly before Kuro scoffed and jumped off. He plunged to the ground before turning over and propelling himself from the earth wall and climbing on a tree branch.

Fuksuhu was more direct… He jumped off and stuck his katana in the wall, slowing his descent before jumping and rolling to absorb the impact.

His sister clapped her hands and slammed them on the ground. A slide made of smooth earth appeared and she rode it down. She dusted her clothes and started walking.

"Stop staring at my sister Tenebris." Fukushu warned "She's not for you."

Kuro grunted before asking "What was that? Clearly not magic."

To the older sibling's surprise, Hana answered "Alchemy."

Kuro searched his memory about that. He could vaguely remember that Kira told him something about it but it never interested him. She continued as she saw him try to remember about it "It's a science. Equivalent exchange." She muttered but it was enough.

" _ **Alchemy. The long lost science of Transmutation which is essentially understanding, decomposing and recomposing matter. Sounds good on paper I know but it ain't all powerful like me. It's impossible to create something out of nothing. If you want to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. You also can't create organic matter from inorganic matter. Basically it's the law of Equivalent Exchange. In accordance with this law, there is a taboo amongst alchemists. Human Transmuation is strictly forbidden. I mean what would be as valuable as a human soul?"**_

He remembered that. He nodded at her and briefly glanced at her right hand. She saw him stare and put it behind her back. He tilted his head before scoffing and ignoring the gesture. If she wanted to talk about it then she was going to. Not like he could force her.

The rest of the ride to Nirvana was made in silence. The three reached the massive, moving building as the sun was setting. Kuro looked at the building and sighed. How were they going to destroy that? Judging by Fukushu's look he had no idea either.

"Lacrimas." Hana muttered which sparked an idea to form inside his head. He looked at the six legs and the center of the building. They had to be powered by something. Fukushu had the same idea. The two swordsmen smirked and jumped off the cliff, followed by Hana. As soon as they landed on Nirvana Kuro widened his eye. This feeling…It was familiar…

" **Kid? You felt it too?"** Kira suddenly spoke.

" _Glad to see you're up and about."_

" **Yeah. Had to recover after Fairy Law hit you."**

" _This has to be an illusion…There's no way she can be here!"_ He scowled and started running to the center of the building. He was followed by the other and he smirked. A bright flame engulfed the now starry sky. Seems Natsu and the other made it here. Good. They would prove to be a good distraction.

* * *

No way.

There was simply no logical way for this.

She was dead.

He saw her die!

He saw her get mutilated!

He buried her!

His Mother couldn't be alive…

And yet here she was.

"Mother?" he asked out loud. The lookalike stood in the center of the room, operating some sort of machine. She stopped and slowly turned to meet him. He frowned. Half of her face was rotting.

"…" the lookalike didn't speak. It simply tilted its head in confusion. It turned back to the machine and pressed a button. The suspended black coffin started to shake before a young man burst out of it. He had short red hair with two black spikes jutting out of the top of his head and red eyes. He wore a red coat with black pants and red boots. Strapped to his back was a bow and around his neck was a whistle of some kind.

"Back to the land of the living… Feels good to be back!" he yelled and stretched before abruptly stopping and looking at Kuro and the other two. He sniffed once "Oh. You have **his** scent on you." He frowned "Thought he died out." He muttered before looking at the lookalike of his mother "Shall we go?" he asked. The figure nodded before wings burst out of the young man's back. They were black and leathery.

Kuro shot once but the bullet was stopped by the man's hand. The bullet was between his fingers "Not a very nice thing to do you know?" he said with a smile "I'm guessing you want to fight." He rubbed his shoulders and cracked his neck "I'm a bit rusty so bear with me mkay?" he said before dashing at Kuro. A clap was heard and the earth rose to knock him away. He looked at Hana and nodded. She followed before she and her brother got to work. If he was any other person he would be impressed by their teamwork. Still. People needed to work together like this. Especially if they were siblings.

His eye widened before he dodged the lookalike of his mother's attack. He back flipped away before dashing forward and slashing. It remained emotionless as it blocked the attack. Sparks flew as the cursed blade clashed against the figure's scales. He scoffed. He just had to fight harder!

And so he did. The two became black blurs as they clashed along the room. Cuts appeared over the walls along with small, fist sized holes. The two struck once and a massive explosion of magical power was felt. A single body flew from the smoke of the blast.

"Tenebris!" Fukushu yelled while looking at him. Big mistake on his part.

The winged devil smirked and aimed at him. He and his sister made sure not to give him easy targets but his respect for Kuro got in the way. He wanted to make sure the other swordsman was alright and now he was going to pay for it.

His opponent laughed as he launched his arrow and hit Fukushu. Or that would have happened had his sister not blocked the shot with her right arm. To her credit, she only slightly winced. Her right arm was a fake one but it still hurt. Her hand bled before she looked at her brother. She smiled slightly before fainting.

"No…" he muttered as she fell.

The devil cackled before kicking him right into Kuro.

The two hosts didn't say anything as they got up.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Tenebris?"

"If it's to kill them then yeah. I do." Kuro reached for his eye patch.

"Exactly." Fukushu snarled and drew his blade, summoning Horitsu's power.

Kuro did the same, the black and red aura surrounding him as he took off of his eye patch.

"Let's do this."

"Yeah!"

The two dashed at their opponents. The winged devil blinked before being sent outside by two fists. The two swordsmen turned to the other figure before they dashed at it. Kuro kneeled before kicking it into the air. Fukushu jumped using Kuro's back as a springboard to reach the figure before slashing at it once. It bled making both of them smirk. Fukushu then spun around before grabbing and throwing it towards Kuro. The black haired man smirked as he kicked it into a wall. The other swordsman growled and impaled his sword in the roof before using it to dash at the figure. He slashed once and destroyed the wall there along with cutting the figure in two.

It screeched before exploding in a burst of black smoke and being whisked away by the air current from the hole in the wall.

The two smirked at that. They worked rather well in a team.

"Gah…" Kuro grunted suddenly and Fukushu widened his eyes as the young man got impaled on a wall by an arrow. Kuro growled in pain as he tried to free himself but the arrow simply burnt him. What was that stuff made off anyway?! He hissed as he touched it again.

"Well then. That should do you in." The devil giggled as the whole room began shaking. Nirvana was collapsing "I'd love to stay and play but your friends smell pretty delicious!" He laughed before flying away.

"Tenebris!" Fukushu yelled and went over to him "You alright?"

"I got an arrow in my shoulder that won't come out, I'm stuck to a wall by said arrow and the arrow burns like a- GYA!" he yelled as Fukushu tried to pull the arrow out "Warn me next time!" he yelled.

"Geez. I'm thinking of leaving you here." Fukushu chuckled.

"Screw you." Kuro grunted before sighing "Look. At this rate none of us will escape. Grab your sister and get the hell out of here."

"But-"

"But nothing. Just do it Laminas!" The other swordsman frowned before nodding and leaving with his unconscious sister.

Kuro sighed as he tried to pull the arrow out again.

"Why do I always end up being impaled by something?" he sighed as he looked at the falling rubble "Heh." He scoffed "Still, had a good run. Saved people, protected someone for a change. I couldn't kill the bastard but hey, you can't win them all can you?"

" _I hate him!"_

" _Don't hate your father Kuro-chan! You're a lot like him you know that? You're ambitious like him! Still you look a lot like me so that's what counts! Being ambitious is what I love the most about you, son of mine!"_

"Am…bitious…" He grunted.

"Am…bitious…!"He growled.

"Ambitious!"he yelled and grabbed the arrow.

"AMBITIOUS!" he roared and pulled with all of his might.

" _That's right!"_ He yelled in his head _"I can't give up. Not until that bastard lies in the ground! That's right!"_

"I." he managed to pull out a portion of it "AM." He struggled with the last few centimeters "AN AVENGER!" he roared and tore the arrow out. Blood splattered on the nearby ground and walls as he panted. Now that he took a better look at the arrow he could see it was made out of pure light. Dammit, Kira's only true weakness and in turn one of his.

He growled as his skin cracked, showing a scarlet color. He hissed and gave out a roar before jumping through the roof.

The winged devil smirked as he took aim from above the humans. He prepared his arrows, intending to take them all out

* * *

in a single strike. He never intended to be sent crashing down into the ground "What the?!" he yelled before he freed himself from the inhuman grip. A growl was heard from the dust cloud as intricate right lines glowed red. Two larger red points seemed to glare at the devil.

"YOU!" the being roared as the dust settled "DEAD!" the male being growled as the glowing intensified.

"Oh man. This really sucks. I'm so due for a power up!" the winged devil whined before he got punched into the air. The air leaving his lungs as the onslaught of attacks continued. After a few seconds he had enough and blocked what would be a fatal sword strike.

"Is that Kuro?" Lucy asked.

Erza narrowed her eyes. She saw that form before. If it was anything like last time…

Fukushu's skin was crawling. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run. Kuro was emanating so much killing intent that it wasn't even funny. He was supposed to be a master at that technique and yet here was Kuro doing it without even trying!

"You're…Just like him!" the devil laughed "So much power! You're not human?!" it wasn't a question.

Kuro roared before pushing harder. The devil smirked as the blade cracked. It seemed to resonate with Kuro as the black haired man's form got even more demonic. His cracked skin turned into black scales and from his tail bone a tail sprung out. The tail was black and serrated with ridges on the top portion of it and it had a sharp pointed tip. With his newly developed appendage, Kuro quickly found an opening. He struck with his new tail and hit his opponent.

Or at least that's what he thought.

His enemy actually blocked the strike before flying upwards and shooting an arrow. Kuro stood there motionless as the arrow approached his head. He tilted his head at the last second, making the arrow miss and explode behind him. His body twitched erratically as he glared at the winged devil.

"I'd love to stay and play more but I got places to destroy, people to kill." He fluttered his wings "Cya around Kuro!" he laughed sadistically as he flew off.

"Who was that?" Gray asked.

Fukushu was the one who answered "He was an enemy. Simple as that."

"Hey Kuro you okay?" Natsu asked as he put his hand on his shoulder. Kuro's twitching stopped before his new tail waved erratically.

Natsu blinked.

One inch.

One more inch and Natsu would have died.

Kuro snarled as he slowly turned back to normal. His tail however, remained as did his sharpened teeth. He growled before sheathing his weapon. It needed time to repair itself. It was a magical weapon after all.

He panted as he fell down. Kira's power was getting harder to control.

" **The more you use it, the more you lose yourself."** Kira reminded him. He grunted in acknowledgement before getting up and cracking his neck while closing his right eye. That fight was an eye opener at least. Staying with Fairy Tail would make him softer.

Still.

He didn't know what was more important.

Mira?

Or his goal?

He scowled and his new tail rose up in anger. He shook his head and sighed.

It was obvious.

His tail brushed his head slightly.

" _So…why do I have a tail?"_

" **It's gotta be my power kid."** Kira shrugged **"It's not really going to mess with ya, trust me. In fact it's gonna help you. I'll teach you how to use it so you can be as cool as me!"**

He resisted the urge to chuckle at that.

" **What do you plan to do now Kuro?"**

He narrowed his open eye. Kira rarely used his real name. Whenever he did, he was serious.

" _I'm starting to become a danger…But I can't just leave Mira…"_

" **Well…There's no telling if they will accept you like this anyway. You're barely human anymore."** Kira's words made him turn to gauge his fellow guild members' reaction. All of them were slightly scared. Even the others from different guilds were afraid of him. Wendy was the one who innocently came up to him.

"Kuro-san?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"T-Thank you!" she said shyly while hugging him. His tail tensed at the contact but he relaxed into the small hug. She released him and he noticed someone different.

"Who are you?" he asked the blue haired man. He said nothing as everyone quieted down.

"He's…a friend." Erza said with a nod. The way she said that perked Kuro's curiosity. She said that more to herself than to him. He shrugged before Fukushu started talking to him.

"Tenebris." The one calling him walked near him "Mind if I ask you something?" he questioned, his sister by his side.

"You just did." Kuro smirked "But go ahead."

"C-Can we uhh…" he hated asking for help!

"Can we come with you?" His sister thankfully came to his aid as she woke up.

"Suit yourself." Kuro shrugged before a field of runes appeared around them. He scowled and looked around "What is the meaning of this!" he yelled as footsteps could be heard.

"My, my. I thought we would only find Oracion Seis here. Yet here you are Kuro Tenebris." He recognized that voice as Lahar an officer in the council's army.

"Release us Lahar." Fukushu growled out. Seems he knew the officer as well "All of us here contributed to Oracion Seis' defeat. So how about you be a good dog of the military and play dead?" he snarled at that.

"…" Lahar was silent before he explained why they were here. They wanted to take the member of Oracion Seis who supposedly helped them. He went willingly with them. Kuro scoffed. He should have fought to not go. He just sacrificed his freedom.

"How about you let us out now?" Fukushu grunted. Kuro could see a faint hint of anger on Hana's childlike face.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. Not until we have captured our true objective. A man more dangerous than all of Oracion Seis. A man who ordered the firing of the Etherion Cannon, truly black of heart. Jellal Fernandes." He smirked somewhat sadistically "And of course, not until we grab our bonus, Kuro Tenebris."

He frowned. If he resisted now, he would cause trouble for Fairy Tail, not to mention Mira.

"You want to come with me?" he looked at the two siblings. They nodded "Then follow my lead."

The rune field was down, he and Jellal walked towards the caravan of Rune Knights. He looked at Jellal who was glancing down. He smirked as the cuffs were strapped to his wrists.

"What's so funny Tenebris?" Lahar questioned.

" **You want to keep Fairy Tail safe? Then you know what has to happen."**

"Your little attempts at keeping me locked down." He chuckled before jumping over the man who put the cuffs on him. He strangled the man with the cuffs he had on before breaking his neck and letting him fall **"Be merciless."** He quickly slipped out of the cuffs during the chaos he created and took out his magnum. He pointed at an officer and shot. His whole head exploded **"You'll have to break that one rule of yours to never kill innocents."** He glanced at the two siblings. They got the message and started helping him. The three ran.

"KURO!" Erza yelled and he stopped on the top of the hill. He turned around to look at her.

" **They'll hate you. They'll shun you. They'll despise you."**

"WHY?" she yelled at him.

" **But you can take it. You're stronger than all of them. You won't break."**

"I wanted to get stronger but Fairy Tail just made me weaker!"

" _I got stronger. Thank you."_

"Hate me Scarlet!"

" _Forgive me."_

"I sever my bonds with all of you!"

" _I'm sorry."_

"Don't come after me!"

" _Remember me."_

"You all are dead to me! Mira too!"

" _I'll never forget about you!"_

"See you around!"

" _Stay strong."_

And with that the three people were gone.

Erza looked down.

"What the hell was that!?" Natsu yelled "We gotta go after him!"

"Could Nirvana's magic have affected him?"

Erza smiled slightly.

No.

He was protecting them.

His right hand's index finger kept twitching as he yelled at them. If he was captured like this, then Fairy Tail would lose face. But if he would act as a criminal that tricked them, then they wouldn't be held responsible. It was a necessary evil. Or at least that's what he thought. Master would have protected him.

Nevertheless the deed is done. All she could now was hope that this mess would get sorted out and he could come back some day. Mira would be devastated if he didn't come back.

* * *

As the three people ran, Kuro never looked back though he was worried. Was he too brash? Should he have thought of an alternative? He shook his head. What's done is done now. He just had to keep moving forward, just he always did. He looked at the two siblings and spoke up "I hope you know we will be hunted down by the council." He stated.

"So?" Hana said.

"What sis said. We were already being hunted by them while we were working for that guild so it's not something foreign to us."

"Why did you want to come with me anyway?" he asked as they passed by the Caith Shelter guild.

"It's no secret you want to kill a demon or something." Fukushu said as rain started falling harshly. They didn't stop.

"So?"

"We're looking for something. The Philosopher's Stone. It's a special artifact that can amplify Alchemy. With it we can bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange and get back what was lost."

Kuro simply nodded. He wasn't one to judge someone's goals.

"And we think that the demon has something to do with it."

He nodded once again before they ran faster in the rain.

* * *

"Was that really how Kuro-san is?" Wendy asked. They went to her guild and were resting there. Everyone was sleeping except for her and the ones from Fairy Tail.

"No!" Natsu yelled. It was a miracle he didn't wake anyone up. He was hit on the head by Erza immediately after that.

"Quiet Natsu. Some people are trying to rest."

"Sorry." He whined as he cradled his head. Gray laughed at him and the two argued silently. Erza ignored them and answered Wendy's question.

"Yes he does act like that. He's loyal to Fairy Tail. That's why he had to do that." She quickly explained why he did just that before everyone finally slept.

* * *

With the winged devil.

He finally landed. He was exhausted after both the fight and flight. He yawned before a voice alerted him "Ah. Orion my little brother. I take it the doll could not return with you?"

"Nope, big bro. It kinda got destroyed while fighting."

"I see." The voice hummed as it and Orion walked into a large castle "Your room is the same as before. I trust you can find it?"

"Of course." Orion smirked and began walking "Hey Maou?" the voice hummed "Thanks for getting me back here." He smiled at the pure darkness flowing around him.

"It was my pleasure Orion." The darkness seemed to smile.

"So. Back to business. What do you need me for?"

"You have met a Kuro Tenebris did you not?"

"Yep. Super strong too. By the way. Why does he smell like **him**?"

"That's because he's his host." The darkness made a motion for Orion to follow it. They stopped at a wall with something scribbled on it "This is a prophecy, my young brother."

Orion quickly read over it.

" _Child of light, bearer of the dark, born as a human, raised as a devil. Cursed blade in hand, dual being, he will fight for what he believes. He might reach his goal, he may fail. The devil lord shall fear this being. Beware of the Destroyer, or the Defender."_

"Wow. I take it Kuro's this Destroyer?"

"Yes. That's why we have to kill him or recruit him."

"Let's get to it then." He smirked.

The darkness nodded at that.

 **Chapter preview:**

" _We have a lead."_

" _To what?"_

" _The Stone."_

" _ **Belial…The Demons must be in a sorry state to make him a lord.**_ _"_

" _Lord?"_

" _Well then lad. You oka-Son?"_

" _You…"_

" _ **Ohhh! Daddy issues!**_ _"_


	7. Repentance

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Kuro Tenebris and any OCs.**

"What do you mean he ran away?!" Mira yelled as Erza explained what happened.

"Exactly that. He ran so Fairy Tail won't lose face." She said in a calm tone.

"But he could have come back! Master would have never let that happen!" she said as she furiously cleaned the bar. She had to do something to get her mind off of these terrible news.

"What's done is done Mira." Makarov said "We cannot do anything to get him back. He decided it was better to run than to hurt us. And seeing that he has killed a couple of Rune Knights then it is certain that he cannot return."

"But…But he-" she stopped and looked down. Tears were flowing down her face like two small waterfalls. It was a sad sight to behold. Mira, the girl who constantly smiled was crying her eyes out. It wasn't long until she got taken home by her siblings.

Makarov sighed "If you ever see Kuro while on jobs or as such, bring him back no matter what the cost. Break every bone in his body if need be."

"Isn't that a bit harsh Master?" She asked.

"Desperate times ask for desperate measures."

She nodded and went outside, leaving the old man to his thoughts.

With Orion.

The young devil sighed as he climbed down into the hot water. He missed this. Being home and not having to look over your shoulder every second to make sure no human is trying to kill you.

"Orion-chan~" a female voice called out as the owner jumped in the water. There was a giant splash before the owner surfaced. The owner of the voice was a…not so well-endowed girl. She had short pink hair held in a pony-tail with small horns coming out of the sides of her head. Her eyes were red without pupils and she had a small beauty mark below the left side of her lower lip. She hugged him suddenly "You're finally back!" she rubbed herself over his body.

She was a succubus though her flat chest was anything but that of a succubus in his opinion. Still. He wasn't going to say that. He had no death wish "Moira." He nodded "What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing!" she nibbled on his ear "Kindred and Jack got killed off by that handsome human."

"Kuro?"

"Yep. That one!" she giggled "You should have seen Kali's face! She was so furious!" she laughed wholeheartedly at that.

"Aha." He frowned before she started washing his back "What about the others?"

"Well, Fu and Exitus are still like always. We're the same as we were before."

"Heh." He chuckled "Cya around Moira." And with that he left.

A few hours later.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?!" Maou roared as the darkness swirled.

"Master, he just vanished from the radar. We-"

"Silence! I will not hear your pathetic excuses. Begone from my sight before I decide to end you!" the younger demon ran away faster than you could say 'Devil'.

"Master~" a voice cooed "Don't be mad. You will find him, eventually."

This was Lilith. The 'Mother of All Devils' that people thought she was. In truth she only birthed one of her own blood. The rest were created through her powerful magic. The Succubus had a curvaceous figure with long purple hair and orange slit eyes. She wore no clothing. Instead, covering her private parts were scales of the same color as her hair. She had a pair of leathery wings jutting out of her back and had a long forked tail.

"Not now Lilith." Maou seemed to growl "Narukami!" he yelled and a young adult appeared. The young adult had dark blue hair with yellow eyes and pale skin. As with Lilith he had scales as his hair along with wings and a tail. Though, his wings and tail were noticeably more muscular. His clothes were made out of black and blue armor.

"Yes Lord?" he asked as he bowed.

"I want your best hunters after him. We _need_ to know where he is and what he does at all times!"

"Understood. I will send Fu and Exitus right away."

In Crocus.

"Ah-choo!" a young guard sneezed.

"Bless you son. Hay fever?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his nose "Why do we need to be on the lookout anyway? It's not like shit's gonna happen here. This is the capital for crying out loud."

"Don't let your guard down son. If I learned anything from this job it's that shit always happens when you least expect it to." The older guard sighed.

"Yeah, guess you're right." The young guard said while cleaning the invisible dust off of his spear "What do we know about the guy anyway?"

"Kuro Tenebris? Or his companions?"

"Whichever." He shrugged.

"Kuro's charged with killing Rune Knights, stealing documents, raping, killing, stealing and he even tried a coup against the council. He's also a demon." The older man frowned "Bunch of bullshit if you ask me."

"Why's that sir?"

"Kuro's a good guy. Fought by his side. Never seen anything like him. He moved with such finesse and dexterity that I was barely able to comprehend. Our mission was to save a couple of hostages and the tacticians said that this mission would end up with too many civilian casualties to be considered a success." He chuckled "Kuro came along and well, that mission turned out perfectly."

"What about the others?"

"The Laminas twins. There's a name that I don't hear often. Their parents were renowned mages. Together they were unstoppable. Don't know the details but shit happened and they turned to Dark Magic and something else. They angered the council by ignoring some order and now they have to pay."

"From what I heard they're nothing but criminals."

"Don't believe everything you hear, son." The older guard patted him on the shoulder before a loud roar was heard followed by a scream "Let's see what the matter is!" the two quickly went there.

From the window near were the guards were, Fukushu peered out "We're clear." He said to his sister and companion "What should we do?"

His sister was right now taking her food. He winced as she took out the needle. Guess she was done with it. He looked over at Kuro and saw him with his eye narrowed. His tail was curled up around his waist like a waistband.

"I'll see what the guards found. You two check the library. You did want to see if there's something about the Stone so do it. We meet on the outskirts at sunset. You two alright with that plan?" they nodded.

"I'll keep an eye out for anything about the demon you're looking for." He nodded in thanks and jumped out the window before turning around and climbing to the roof. He sighed as he pulled himself up and began running towards where the commotion was. A large dog like creature with three heads snarled as it approached a woman and her child.

" **Oooo. Haven't seen a Cerberus in a long while. Their fur costs a fortune kid."** He smirked at that. He did need the money now that he was on the run with the two siblings…and attacking it would prove to be a good distraction.

Before the rune knights could attack the demon a black blur crashed into it. The black blur jumped away from the demon before setting into a stance. Kuro smirked as the beast approached him. He quickly dodged out of the way and tripped it.

The Cerberus got up and charged at him again while roaring. Kuro simply leaned back while cutting the side heads cleanly off using his tail. He was getting used to using it. He grabbed the middle head and began prying it open. The mouth of the demon was opened with a brutal snap and Kuro stabbed his tail through the upper side of the demon's head.

"Efficient as ever Kuro." The older guard commented.

"It's how I was taught."

"Kudos to your teacher."

" **Aww. I like this guy!"**

"I take it my partner is simply unconscious?"

"I made it my one rule to not kill humans."

"Ahh but you did kill."

"That's bullshit and you know. I just knocked them unconscious." The young man scoffed before he looked at the old man "You haven't changed, Lee." His eyes softened as he looked over the older man.

"Neither did you, brat." The older man smiled "I'll have to report this you know?" he chuckled.

"Yeah." He readied his tail.

"Let's see if you're still the same." Lee grinned and blew a whistle, calling the rest of the guards in Crocus to their location.

In the library.

"Wow. Never thought he'd live up to his end of the bargain." Fukushu muttered as he looked through the 'dark' and 'forbidden' section of the library. His sister was in the science one. He could hear the sounds of battle even from here "Did you find anything sis?" he yelled at his sister.

Silence.

"Yes." She spoke softly. He sighed. She found what they were looking for. However, he couldn't find anything for Kuro…Not that it mattered anyway. They just needed a distraction. Kuro was that distraction. They were going to go their separate ways anyway. It sucked but this is what had to be done. The council did give them a mission to 'expose' Kuro. They didn't need to do anything but they would reap the rewards. Equivalent exchange as his sister would speak. Kill or be killed, dog eats dog. He learned a long time ago that this is what the world revolved around. Advantages. He wasn't a bad guy. He was just a guy looking out for his sister. There was no such thing as just evil. There was just grey.

Shades of grey. His might be a darker shade but it was still grey. And that was all that mattered.

"What'd you find sis?"

She pointed at something. A piece of paper with words she wrote. She decoded something.

 _As I write my last words I only hope that someone can understand them. Alchemy is dying out. As a means to preserve alchemy as a powerful tool I have finally created the Philosopher's Stone. I have hid it along with my journals at the core of Alakitasia. Good luck and let the flame guide you._

"So we need to get to the other side of Earthland?"

She nodded.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Kuro?"

"Screw him. We got what we needed. He was a good distraction."

She frowned slightly before nodding.

And with that, the two siblings were off.

* * *

Sunset was here and his new companions didn't show up.

" **I think they ditched you kid."**

"I think so too." He frowned. It didn't come as a shock honestly but it still somewhat hurt. He sighed "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he sighed before punching a tree "Dammit I was too brash! I acted without thinking and now I got nowhere to go."

" **Yeah you did. But hey look on the bright side. At least Fairy Tail didn't lose anything."**

"I guess that's good. Think I should sneak into Mira's house? Talk to her?"

" **Well if you can't stay away from your little** _ **girlfriend**_ **. Go ahead."** Kira cackled.

"She's not my girlfriend and you know it. We're just good friends." He said and started walking.

" **I still can't believe my sword cracked. Wonder if I kept the receipt for it…"**

In a small village.

" **So, mind telling me why we are here of all places?"**

"I need to check something." He muttered and entered his previous home. He stiffened suddenly. No way…

"Well, you okay lad-son?"an older man said before turning around. He had blue eyes and long brown hair tied into a pony tail. He wore a brown jacket with black pants and a red shirt along with purple sneakers. Around his waist were two revolvers.

"You…" Kuro muttered with a glare.

"…" the man was silent "I'm guessing…that she's dead, isn't she?"

"What was your first clue?" Kuro growled.

"Hey Fuyo you okay?" a woman's voice spoke suddenly from the bathroom and a woman with short green hair exited in nothing but a towel "Man that last round really tired me. You should really be more gentle you know?" she muttered before noticing Kuro "…'Sup?" she waved.

He glared at her and Fuyo "So mom was just a one-time thing eh?" he asked.

"Son it's not-"

"Don't. Call me that…" he muttered "I have no father." He spat with venom before looking around. The kitchen was stocked so that meant that his 'father' was staying here…that bastard.

" **Damn. Daddy issues?"**

" _Not now Kira…"_

" **Got ya kid."**

"S-So why are you here so-…Kuro?"

"I came here to check something…Should have burned the house when I left." He muttered before turning to leave.

"Yo kid! What did Fuyo ever do to you?"

"Alex no…"

"…If I wanted a whore to talk to me I would have went to a whore house. Be silent when your betters are talking." He muttered darkly, his tail now visible and ready to pierce the woman. She wanted to protest but the tail and his glare just stopped her cold.

"W-What happened to you?" His 'father' gasped.

"Nothing…" he muttered and left.

"Hey son." He stopped and was about to berate him from calling him that "For what it's worth I'm sorry. I should have been there to keep you and Katsura safe."

"Sorry?" he chuckled "You don't get to be sorry. The moment when you lose the most important thing in your life. That's when you get to be sorry." He glared before leaving.

"What was that about?" Alex asked out loud as she dressed herself.

"…My son." Fuyo sighed "He's so much like his mother it's not even funny." He chuckled. Same looks, same personality. The only thing he had from him was his eyes. He sighed and looked outside. He grunted and opened the door "Kuro!" he yelled and stopped the new half demon in his tracks.

"What?" he grunted without turning around.

"I could use your help."

Kuro raised an eyebrow at that.

"The king has reasons to believe that he will be assassinated. He asked us-" he gestured to the woman and himself "To keep him safe. But we need help if it's true."

"Why should I help the king? He doesn't do shit." He grunted.

"He's the _king_. He can do anything he wants. One thing you want, he can give it to you."

"…Fine. When do we leave?"

"Right now. Alex?" he asked the woman before she smirked and a blue portal opened beneath them. One second later the three disappeared leaving nothing but air.

As Kuro blinked he found himself into a blue tunnel of some sort. Thousands of cracks were seen all depicting other events. Some that already happened while others were different. In one of them he was actually the son of a demon!

"What is this?" he asked outloud.

"This, creepy kid, is my power. A Lost magic known as 'Space and Time Travel'. Not a fancy name I know. The people who created this must have ran out of ideas. I call it 'Jumping' though." She shrugged. He got a good look at her. She had short green hair with two bangs framing her face. She had a scar going over her left eye which was colored a darker shade of green. Her clothes were average looking with a brown jacket and a pair of black jeans. She wore sandals- "You done checking me out kid?" she smirked and he snarled.

"How does your magic work?" he asked as he glanced at his father. The only thing he got from that man were his eyes. Something he was grateful for. The less he looked like him, the better. He glanced at the two revolvers. He had the urge to throw away his gun. He resisted as the gun was powerful and was an asset.

"I just make a portal and transport a lot of people or things." She shrugged "I can use it just to teleport myself which is a hell of a lot more easier. I don't have to make a portal to do that so it's faster too." He nodded, his curiosity sated.

The cracks were beginning to be filled up by something. Something that was black in color and liquid like "Is this a normal occurrence?" he asked with a roll of his one uncovered eye. His tail mimicked the eye's movement. He should really start training to move it at will.

" **Told you so.** "

"No…" she muttered.

He and his father must have thought the same thing as they both got on guard.

" **Ahh… So this is where you were Black Devil.** " A woman's voice purred before the owner rose up from a black puddle.

"Who are you?" Kuro asked, his sword ready though nowhere near its usual lethality. It was still cracked after all.

" **My name is Lilith, Black Devil. Now put away your little broken toy. Is that the way to treat your friend's mother?** " She smiled sadistically.

" _Kira?"_ he looked for an answer.

…

He didn't get one.

Kira looked down in his mindscape.

"Why are you here Lilith?" Fuyo asked with a glare. Huh. Seems he got that from Fuyo too.

" **Simply because I wanted to see where my son was.** " She shrugged " **I cannot wait for you to be captured Kira dear.** " She smirked before disappearing along with the black liquid.

The next second all of them appeared inside the throne room.

"Okay what was that all about?"

"…No clue." Kuro glared at the ground as he and the other two were surrounded by guards. He scoffed and set into a stance as black and red smoke rose up from his left side and right eye. He briefly wondered if the demonic corruption was spreading faster than he knew. The tail brushing his head reminded him that it was true.

"Stand down!" the king spoke with authority befitting of a man upon a throne. Whether he deserved to sit upon that throne or not remained to be seen. Without a second thought the guards sheathed their weapons, Kuro doing the same. He still remained on guard.

A woman amongst the guards unnerved him. She wore a grey coat with many pockets and armguards of the same color. She also wore thigh highs up to the upper part of her legs before they abruptly ended and a long dark blue shirt began which covered the rest of her body.

Her hair was long, reaching her lower back side and was styled into a 'Hime' cut. Her eyes were a dull red without the pupil…was she blind? Judging by how her eyes tracked his hand near his sword he got his answer. In her left hand was a sheathed katana being held in a particular way, a reversed grip.

" _Huh…Focused on defense…_ " she must have caught him staring as she tensed up. He frowned and looked away. His curiosity was getting annoying really. He should stop doing that.

"Fuyo, Alex. I see you have got my message."

"Of course your highness." Fuyo bowed along with Alex. Kuro merely bowed his head in respect. He wasn't about to bend the knee. Not when the old king didn't show he deserved respect. Royal blood. Tch. Was his blood red? Would he bleed if he was cut? Would he die if his heart would stop pumping this so called 'Royal' blood? Of course. That didn't make him better than the rest of them. He was the same.

He frowned. He was monologuing…

"Ah but who is this? Your son Fuyo?" the king smiled with kindness. Kuro wanted to rip his tongue out. He hated his father with a burning passion…But this was the only way to find out why the council wanted him dead…and to clear his name…maybe. He scoffed at that. No way in hell that was going to happen.

"…You could say that." Fuyo awkwardly spoke and got up. He knew he fucked up. Kuro hated him with a passion. Who knows, maybe he could reconcile with him during this whole job. He certainly hoped so.

"He looks exactly like Katsura if you don't me saying so."

Kuro resisted snarling at that though now he really wanted to rip his tongue out…

Alex saw his face twitch and frowned before looking at the king.

"He doe-"

"In any case" Alex spoke up while glaring at Fuyo "Why have you asked for us?"

Kuro looked at the woman with surprise. He didn't know whether to thank her or still curse at her…

The king sighed "I have reasons to believe that someone will try to assassinate me this week. I have already sent my daughter to a safe place but I cannot go. I have duties after all. So I ask of you to protect me after all I cannot ask of known guilds as they would attract attention. What better bodyguards than two bounty hunters…and a criminal it seems?"

"I didn't do shit." Kuro glared at the short king "And after we're done with this mission I expect two things from you." He grunted "Firstly, I want to know why the council wanted me dead ever since I joined Fairy Tail. And second I want my name cleared."

"Very well. You will have your reward assuming you get the job done. You and one of my most trusted guards will patrol the city. I can't have a criminal walking around freely in my castle now can I?" he smiled.

Now Kuro truly wanted to rip his tongue out…

"Lyra I trust you can get the job done."

The blue haired woman simply nodded and walked next to him before she started staring at him.

" _The hell is this?_ " he resisted sweatdropping.

" **I think she likes you!** " Kira spoke up suddenly.

He scoffed and turned around "I'll go and explore." Fuyo threw him something and he caught it while walking away.

"If something happens we'll call you on it." He nodded and exited the throne room.

"Can he be trusted?"

"If he's anything like his mother then he could be. He's calm and collected most of the type but can switch gears at the drop of a hat." He sighed "I hope I made the right choice."

With Kuro.

"You shouldn't do that."

The first time she said that, he promptly ignored her and kept looking for weak spots in the castle's defenses. The guards kept snarling and glaring at him. They probably heard about him and how much of 'demon' he was. He heard one of the men calling him 'Black Devil'.

…

He could get used to that one. He thought while resisting to chuckle.

"You shouldn't do that."

She warned again.

God…She couldn't take a hint.

She got ignored again as he climbed on top of a building near the castle. He looked at a window from atop of it. He frowned. If an archer or a sniper stood here and was good he or she could make a shot there…His thoughts suddenly drifted to that red haired devil archer. Maybe he could make a shot from here. He shook his head. Wasn't time for crap like that anyway.

He dropped down and landed softly on the ground.

"You shouldn't do that."

He groaned "How many times are you going to repeat that?"

"As many times as it is needed."

"…Look. I have a job to do. I'm looking for weak spots."

"And?"

"…There are none. Looks to me like I'm just wasting my time here." He grunted and left.

A couple minutes later and the two found themselves in a vacant park.

"Huh…Where'd she go?"

" **Aww, missing her already?** "

" _Don't you start. Mind explaining what that 'Lilith' was talking about?_ "

"…"

" _Tch. Thought so. Look Kira, I trust you. How about you trust me and tell me?_ "

"… **I can't…I just can't…** "

He sighed.

" _Whenever you can, just let me know._ "

"Here you go…" the woman handed him something as she walked up to him…An ice-cream?!

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Eat it or it'll melt." She said before in a flash her own ice-cream was gone.

What.

The.

Fuck.

Was happening?

"So why do you hold that sword like that?" he asked as he gave a few test licks at the icy goodness.

"…My master taught me like that."

"And your master was…?" he sarcastically asked.

"Katsura Tenebris."

He choked.

He hit his chest a few times before recovering "Since when?" he almost yelled.

"A few years…She was killed by a demon though."

" _So that's where she was going all the time._ "

" **Shine some light on this, kid.** "

" _Mother always left at around a certain time every day and came near the end of the day. She must have been training her._ "

"Do you know her?"

"Yeah…" he looked away.

"Were you close?" She inched closer.

"…yeah…"

"How close?"

"A lot…" he grunted before he felt her weight on him "The hell are you doing?!" he asked, flustered before she closed in and her lips touched his…ice-cream?!

" _It's official…the whole world's gone mad."_ He thought as she and he got up. The woman still had her ice-cream in hand.

"Thank you for the meal." She said with a slight bow. He narrowed his eye in annoyance.

She was beyond weird.

Then again she did remind him of Fairy Tail…

"I am sorry for your mother." She said suddenly.

She knew?

"And I am…I am sorry for your teacher." He said while looking away.

"You're broken." She said from behind him.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"She named me…"

" _So I met this girl in town Kuro-chan."_

" _Eww. Girls are weird!"_

" _Oh? But mommy's a girl too Kuro-chan!"_

" _Y-Yeah but you're not weird!"_

" _Haha! Anyway. She doesn't have a name and her birthday is tomorrow! Any ideas for a name?"_

" _Uhm…How about Lyra? The character in my favorite story has that name!"_

" _Huh…Lyra…Yeah that sounds great!"_

"Already knew that." He shook his head to clear the thoughts away.

"I'm broken too."

"You got me with that one." He smirked "Come on Lyra." He motioned "We still have to patrol." She gave a small smile.

He continued smirking until his face fell.

One of the guards called him 'Black Devil'…

" _ **My name is Lilith, Black Devil.**_ _"_

"Son of a-" he turned around and got into a stance "They're already here." He snarled as dozens of black clad assassins surrounded him and Lyra. She narrowed her eyes and prepared to draw her sword.

"How many do you count?"

"Around a hundred. Not nearly enough." He shrugged "Fifty/fifty?"

"Loser buys the winner an ice-cream."

"Huh. Sure." He rolled his uncovered eye before dashing into them with a smirk.

In the palace an hour ago.

As Fuyo watched his son leave he sighed.

"You alright there, Fuyo?" Alex asked as she played around with a dagger. Family heirloom if he remembered correctly. Still she was a master at using that weapon. He remembered a time when he didn't trust the woman with anything.

Now?

Now he'd lay his life for her.

Which he couldn't say about Katsura back then.

And that thought made him hate himself.

He resisted scoffing.

He didn't need to hate himself. Kuro was doing that enough for both of them.

"Yeah." He said simply, reminding himself that he still did need to talk. He and Alex were in the throne room, keeping watch over the king after all. They needed to stay alert at all times.

"So, mind telling me what the deal is with your son?"

"We…We don't get along that well."

"Gee I never would have guessed." She deadpanned.

He chuckled "Guess it's obvious huh. I…I wasn't around much. I…I wasn't ready to be a father. So when she told me she's pregnant I ran away and lived my life as I have always had. A bounty hunter. Don't know why I even tried to settle down with a samurai of all things." He shrugged.

"Keep going." She urged him on. She was bored and nothing exciting was happening.

"One night Katsura got killed by a demon and Kuro was forced to witness it. He ran and apparently holds me responsible for it." He looked down.

" _I know you might not care about me and that's fine. But your son is turning three the next month and I would like you to meet him. Please respond."_

He would always get such letters every year until she died.

"You know it ain't your fault. Who knows, maybe if you would have been there then the demon would have killed you too." She shrugged.

"…Yeah." He sighed and looked at his right hand. He clenched it into a fist before relaxing.

What's done is done.

"Intruders in the palace! Intruders in the pal-Gah!" a guard yelled before he was struck down by a lance.

"Yay! Another kill for me big bro!" a young boy at around the age of fifteen spoke with barely contained glee. He had long pale blue hair with yellow eyes and a permanent smile on his face showing his sharpened teeth. He wore casual clothes consisting of a black t-shirt and loose grey pants along with brown sandals. In his hand was a large lance, way larger than his body (A/N: Nameless King's Sword Spear from Dark Souls 3.)

"Yeah, whatever." Another voice spoke monotonously. This boy was taller and looked to be around twenty with dark brown hair and yellow eyes same as the other one but this one had a deadpan face. He wore a red and black yukata with no visible weapons on his person besides the short sword stuck to his lower back. As with the other, he also had sharpened teeth "Let's get this over with. I'm bored…" he yawned.

"Oh come on! Don't be so negative big bro!" the younger boy giggled before pointing the large lance at Fuyo "Can't wait to rack up more kills!" he grinned and dashed at them.

…

He shouldn't have gotten out of bed.

He thought before drawing his revolvers and taking a shot. He grunted after being forced to roll out of the way.

The boy anticipated this and grabbed at him. Thankfully Alex was on the move and stabbed the boy in the arm "Really?" he asked with a smile "That's it?" he laughed before throwing Fuyo away into the ceiling.

He really shouldn't have woken up today.

He groaned as he recovered and fell down. He took aim and made a shot straight into the boy's shoulder.

Huh.

He was aiming for the head…

"Son of a bitch! That hurts! What's this made of anyway?!" the boy yelled and another shot was heard before he fell down clutching the hole in his chest. He smirked and turned around towards the other boy.

He simply deadpanned and put his hands up "I don't feel like fighting you. And besides the idiot is still kicking." He muttered before something grabbed Fuyo's and Alex's ankles.

"Boom." The boy giggled and blue electricity coursed through them. They screamed in pain before collapsing "Whew. Double kill up in here!" he laughed before grinning at the king "Well then Kingie. Time to die~" he sung with glee before the doors to the throne room flew open and crashed into him and into a wall.

"Not so fast." Kuro spoke from the doorway.

"I see the assassins were no match for you." The older deadpanned before sighing "Guess there is no choice. Who do you want to take on, Fu?" he asked before from the rubble burst out the younger boy with a shit-eating grin that was anything but innocent.

"I want to kill the girl! She's pretty hot." He shivered in what Kuro thought to be excitement. He blinked and the boy already sent him flying into the wall to his left. Thankfully the king already escaped through a secret passage so he needn't worry about that.

Their swords clashed but it was obvious that Lyra was losing ground. She grunted before managing to overpower him and kicking him before going on the offensive. Before he could dash in to help her, the older one got in the way "I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to interfere. Besides. You have me to fight." He smirked slightly before setting into a stance.

He narrowed his eye before reaching for his gun and promptly throwing it away. He didn't need it here.

All of his cells hurt.

He could say the same about Alex too.

"You alright?" he still had to ask.

"Really? You're gonna ask that?" dumb move.

"Heard it's polite."

"Bullshit…I can still move and cast one 'Jump'. You want to get outta here?"

"No…We need to do this." He groaned and got up slowly. He looked at his revolvers. Both were broken. He scowled before he saw it on the ground. A gun. Did Kuro throw this?

He looked at his son as he clashed with the older boy in the same manner that Lyra did so with Fu. He blinked and could swear he saw Katsura in both of them.

…Electricity must have burned some of his brain.

He shook his head and aimed for a shot. He widened his eyes as Kuro made a mistake. The older boy was faster by a fraction of a second and thus managed to disarm the wide eyed Kuro. He gasped and made a run for it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Fu ready to take Lyra's head off. He scowled and aimed while jumping towards Kuro.

He took the shot and hit the boy in the gut.

The other boy swung and blood was spilled.

"Noooo!"

"Fuyo!"

Well there goes his left hand.

Good thing he was right handed.

Now if only he could just stop the bleeding. Gee that would be great.

He swayed before falling down but Kuro caught him.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why? Because you're my son. I may have not been there for you or your mother but I can at least take a shot for you. Or in this case a sword. I thought you needed a hand with this guy." He tried to chuckle but the pain was too much.

"Why now?"

"Because until now I've been afraid. Okay? I feared that I wouldn't have been a perfect father. Or a perfect husband. But now I realize that you didn't need a perfect one. You just needed one. Make her proud Kuro."

"Oh spare me the dying message cliché. Could you get on with it so I can kill you assholes faster?" Fu spoke before spiting a metal thing towards Fuyo. It was a bullet "He was just a weakling too!" he started laughing before he abruptly stopped. Right in his face was Kuro without his eye patch.

Thanks to his older brother he managed to live "How about not taunting the host of Kira's power shall we?"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks Exitus." Fu smiled before backing up and being tripped by Lyra "Why you little-!" he yelled before he was kicked away.

Exitus managed to keep Kuro's sword away and overpower him. He swung towards him but the black haired young man dodged by leaning backwards. Exitus glanced at his weapon. Where in the nine hells did it go? He looked at Kuro and saw his sword's shards into the half demon's grinning mouth. It was a sadistic grin. On par with Fu's!

Kuro snarled and impaled his sword into Exitus' right shoulder and driving him into the wall along with the airborne Fu. The two crashed into it creating a small dust cloud "He may have not been around a lot but he still saved me back there. I plan to repay that." He said "And besides, I still have a mission here." He smirked with faint trails of blood coming down his lips.

"Cliché!" Fu yelled before he and Exitus tore the weapon out of their shoulders before kicking Kuro away and throwing a lighting needle towards him. It hit and he fell down with a thud. He got up and started vomiting blood.

"What did you do to him?" Lyra asked.

"I just fried some of his veins. Blood is normal to come out like that." The monotone boy spoke before glancing at the small doorway that the king used to get away "Come on Fu. We still have a job to do. Let the assassins take care of them." He said as dozens of swordsmen appeared out of thin air.

"I'll enjoy watching you die." An assassin grinned as he prepared to cut Kuro's head off.

Fortunately, he was stopped by a pillar of earth sending him flying through the window.

"Not so fast bub." A familiar voice spoke from the doorway. Kuro managed to glance at the owner of the voice "We leave you alone for what? A day and this happens? Gee you're completely hopeless Tenebris." Fukushu grinned from the doorway, his sister by his side "So that fight we had was just dumb luck huh?" he smirked before throwing something into Kuro.

Lyra looked at the projectile. She resisted snarling…

"You bastard!" …she didn't resist snarling before running at Kuro, slashing anyone in her way "Are you alright, Kuro?" she asked as she put her hand on his shoulder.

She blinked.

And Kuro struck.

She had her eyes wide as Kuro's sword went straight through a man's back, right behind her!

He panted as he glared forward.

"Sis made a serum that would help him with regenerating. I also injected him with a bit of magic recovering liquid. You'll feel numb but it'll get the job done. Can't have you dying just yet now can I Tenebris? We still need to have a rematch." Fukushu smirked as he cut down enemy after enemy, his sister glancing at the carnage in the room with a bored expression "Consider my debt paid Tenebris."

Kuro grunted as he tore the syringe from his chest and got up on shaking legs. He coughed before using his sword to support himself "Are you kidding me?" he growled.

He dashed at Fukushu "Debt paid?! You're not giving me any interest after you took this long to get here?!" he yelled and jumped at Laminas.

"What more do you want?" he asked with a grin before the black haired half demon somersaulted over him and killed one of the assassins. He cleaned his blade with a flick of his wrist and turned around.

"The heads of those two." He nodded towards the two demons.

"That's a lot of interest. Don't you think?" Fukushu started drawing his sword. Kuro could hear a faint whisper coming from the blade.

"No. They are worth nothing." He said and prepared himself.

"Man. These two are way too edgy and cliché to be allowed to live!" the younger laughed "What do you say, long face? Wanna kill them?"

"Go ahead Fu."

The younger's grin got larger and Kuro could swear he heard a crack coming from the boy's face before he dashed at him.

He parried the blow and the two crashed into the stone wall.

"Kuro!" The older Laminas yelled before he was forced to dodge an electrical spear. He rolled out of the way, while his sister transmuted the wooden floor into a one-time shield.

"Your fight is with me, Oathbreaker." Exitus smirked which was an act not many people witnessed. He could sense the power of this man from a mile away. His master and father would reward him deeply for this.

He could just ask for a vacation!

He could just lazy around.

Not give a shit.

Oh it would be glorious!

" _ **He knows! Tear him apart! Rend his flesh! No! Crush his bones! Yes! Break his head. No! Cut it off! Feed him his own intestines! MAKE. HIM. SUFFER!"**_

" _Shut up already. I got enough on my plate, Horitsu."_ Fukushu snarled in his mind. Sharing his body with another…well not really 'another', more like 'more demons than he could count put into one devil'…It was such a drag.

"Kuro! My sister and I will kill this fucker!" he grunted "You and red eyes over there take care of the younger shit!" he grinned sadistically before charging along with his sister at Exitus.

"Tch. Like I have a damn choice." Kuro muttered as he pushed back against his attacker.

"What's the matter Kuro boy. Can't fight me?" Fu mocked as he overpowered Kuro whom grunted as he started bending his knees under the pressure. The sudden smirk caught him off guard.

"I can't. But she sure can." He smirked as a sword was plunged through the demon's chest. The pressure was gone in an instant as Fu clawed at the sword before falling down "Thanks Lyra." He said before she took out her sword.

"You owe me an ice-cream Kuro." Lyra deadpanned in her usual monotone voice.

"Last I checked I won that contest so we're even on that front." He grunted and got up. A hand grabbed his ankle.

"Not so fast!" the still alive Fu yelled before throwing Kuro into a nearby wall leaving an imprint and after picking his sword lance plunging it into Lyra.

A flash of lightning later and a wall appeared between his sword and the girl. The lance was stuck in it "The hell is this?! You're cheating!" he growled at the blue haired girl.

She glanced at the younger Laminas sibling. The two nodded to eachother before Lyra vaulted over the wall and slashed at him. The wound healed instantaneously. She frowned before she got backhanded away.

Fukushu began grinning ferally as he kept slashing at the devil. Unfortunately he missed most shots but it was still making his blood boil.

His sister got on the offensive and slammed her hands on the ground. A flash of lightning later and a dozen pillars appeared, striking towards Exitus. The devil simply kicked the older sibling into the pillars.

Hana frowned and after another clap the pillars softened.

"Thanks sis."

She nodded before they attacked once more.

" _Kira!"_

" **On it kid!"**

Kuro snarled before his form started emanating black smoke.

"Getting serious eh?" Fu smirked before dashing at him. The slash was blocked…barely.

"Kuro!"

"I got this! You help them." He said to Lyra.

"…Alright." She nodded and went to the two.

"It's just you and me demon."

"No. It's just me!" he grinned and headbutted Kuro out the window.

He went to the ledge and smirked "Sayonara, Kuro."

The young half demon grunted and impaled his tail near the ledge making Fu fall along with him.

"SUNUVA!" he yelled as he fell "I'll kill you!"

"You and what army?!" Kuro smirked before electricity coursed through him. His whole body was numb.

"It's over, Black Devil!" Fu yelled before brandishing his sword lance and nose diving towards him.

" _It's not over."_

" _ **It can't be over."**_

" _Not_ _ **now.**_ _Not_ _ **ever**_ _!"_

" _I love you Kuro."_

He widened his eyes and roared before unsheathing his sword and slashing. The two weapons collided and Fu's shattered while Kuro's flew out of his grasp. The two snarled at each other before taking a shard.

Fu stabbed straight towards Kuro's head but the black haired swordsman was faster and blocked it with his left forearm. He didn't even flinch as the metal pierced his arm, neither when Fu sent more electricity through him. He did however cough blood.

"Just die already!"

He smirked and grabbed Fu with his left hand.

"Sorry. I have a prior engagement." he smirked darkly before Fu looked back. A sharp shard was sticking out of the ground. Kuro must have thrown it "See you in hell." He smirked before letting go of Fu and pushing him towards the shard.

"YOU SUNUV-" a massive crash was heard as Fu fell, his head pierced by the shard of his weapon.

Another crash was heard before another and another before he finally landed on solid ground.

"Great…Hope they can take care of the other guy." He smiled slightly before laying there, unable to move.

* * *

"SIS!" Fukushu yelled before a clap and a flash of lightning later, two walls appeared and slammed into the demon. He smirked before he and the other girl both slashed at him. The demon smirked as he parried both effortlessly.

He frowned. They weren't gonna get anywhere this way…

He looked at Alex.

" _I can still cast one 'Jump'"_

"Alex…I got a plan."

"Oh great. And here I thought we were gonna stay here all day." She coughed once before he told her his plan.

Hana listened to both of them and nodded.

The plan was to get Exitus into a position where he would get teleported away. The thing is, they needed someone to hold Exitus there which meant that they couldn't dodge.

Lyra heard the plan and nodded. She was prepared to sacrifice herself. At least she could see Katsura-sensei again that way.

"NOW!" Fukushu yelled and kicked the demon into a sharp stone courtesy of his sister. Lyra and surprisingly Fuyo both latched onto Exitus, pinning him into place.

"Now Alex!"

"But Fuyo! You'll die too you dumb asshole!"

"I know." He smiled "This is my redemption. I'll finally act like a father, protect his child. Maybe this way Kuro can forgive me."

Her eyes watered "…"

"You do realize that no one leaves this place alive do you? I already overcharged my body with electricity. The moment my heart stops…" he grunted "Is the moment you people die."

"That's why you're not going to be around here." Fukushu grinned "Do it."

"But-"

"Just do it Alex. I…we made our choices." He looked at Lyra who simply nodded.

"Dammit Fuyo!" she yelled and opened the portal, engulfing half of the three people's bodies there.

"Goodbye Alex." He smiled before the spell ended abruptly, cutting him in half along with Lyra and Exitus.

Their bodies fell on the ground with wet thunks.

They won.

But it sure as hell didn't feel like it.

* * *

Morning came and Kuro woke up soundly.

He looked at his bandaged hand.

He glanced down and sighed before getting up and leaving the room after gearing up.

The laminas siblings were having breakfast quietly. The woman that Fuyo was with was drinking something, and the king was standing there, simply watching.

No one said a word. No sound was made except for the sound of silverwares being used and the sound of a cup being endlessly filled by alcohol. He sat down wordlessly. Fukushu nodded to him and he followed.

Alex threw him something. An envelope.

He looked at it before glancing at her. She glared slightly before going back to her drink.

He opened it and widened his uncovered eye.

They were letters.

Addressed to his mother by Fuyo.

" _Dear Katsura_

 _I'm sorry for not being there. Wish Kuro a happy birthday from me. I wish I could be there but I can't. You know I can't just settle down like you. I long for adventures. For thrills.-"_

He continued reading. Fuyo went on and on about how sorry he was. In every letter.

It all started the same.

" _I'm sorry for not being there."_

And it all ended with the same phrase.

" _I'll come back on Kuro's next birthday. I hope I can be a great father."_

He looked down and noticed a final letter.

" _Kuro…no. Son._

 _I know you hate me. You may never forgive me but know that I still love you. I believe in you no matter what. I may have not been there but I hope that my absence made you stronger._

 _I know that I'll not survive this mission. That's why I wrote this._

 _If I somehow survive, then I'll just say this face to face._

 _But if I die…well I guess that's why you're reading this aren't you?_

 _Over the years I heard about your deeds and all I can say now, except that I'm proud, is this:_

 _Keep being a hero, son._

 _With love, Dad"_

He…smiled.

"King." He spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Why does the council want me dead?"

"…It's because of your burden. The burden of Kira that you carry will attract enemies everywhere. Some people in the council believe that you will be a threat and so seek to kill you."

"I see. Was my name cleared?"

"Of course. Everyone knows of what you did for me."

"Alright then." He got up "You coming?" he looked at the two.

"No. The only reason we actually came back was because we owed you. Alright? We owed you big time but now that debt's repaid and we can walk our own separate ways."

"Got it. Take care Fukushu, Hana, Alex."

"Just a question before you go. What will you do now?" he stopped walking and looked outside the window. Fairy Tail was to the East.

"I…I'm not sure. But the one thing I can do is what he said. I keep being a hero. Like my father."


End file.
